Curious about how race and socioeconomic factors factor into foodborne illness risk, a number of researchers over the past few years have looked at foodborne illness risk among low-income and minority populations. Study findings show increased risk among minority populations, but researchers experience difficulty ascertaining whether disparities exist at the income level, mainly because of the way foodborne illness data is tracked.
Jennifer Quinlan, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University whose research focuses on identifying food safety risks for minority racial/ethnic and low-income populations, says that, overall, data shows a greater risk of foodborne illness among minority populations, but income-level data is hard to come by.
Quinlan’s research has found that food safety problems are more prevalent at small, independently owned markets where many urban, low-income and minority populations shop. Risks include produce with high microbial counts, bacteria in milk and fecal coliform contamination. Quinlan and her fellow researchers speculate these risks could be related to transportation, sanitation and refrigeration practices at resource-constrained establishments.
In addition to risks in the retail environment, cultural background and knowledge of best food safety practices also play a role in foodborne illness rates. Safe food handling practices in the home are of particular importance.
A study out of the Emerging Infections Program at the Yale School of Public Health found that among children under age 10, more cases of campylobacteriosis occurred among low socioeconomic status populations. Food safety risk may be higher among low socioeconomic status groups due to limited food safety knowledge, crowded homes and smaller kitchens, James Hadler, one of the authors of the study, told Food Safety News in June.
Focus groups conducted as part of a Cornell University study on food safety risk among Mexican-Americans living in the United States found that most focus group participants (80 percent of whom were from low-income populations) did not properly defrost meat; many frequently left food out for more than two hours before refrigerating, hastily washed cutting boards and utensils before reusing, consumed raw eggs despite knowledge of Salmonella risk and believed food thermometers are unnecessary, according to Pilar Parra, research associate and senior lecturer at Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences and lead author of the study.
She says the study also gave her group insight into how to improve food safety practices among the population represented by the focus groups.
“The study shows we have a very nice window of opportunity to launch very tailored messages,” said Parra in an interview.
Researchers speculate that resources for maintaining safe food preparation and handling practices within the home could be more limited among low socioeco