Browsing by Author "Yang, Lily L."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Assessment of consumers' knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and beliefs of food handling and beef safety handling behaviors
    Yang, Lily L. (Virginia Tech, 2018-08-03)
    Consumers desire tender, juicy, and flavorful cuts of beef. Mechanical tenderization (MT) and enhancement methods applied to lower valued beef cuts can improve tenderness, flavor or juiciness, increasing desirability for the consumer. However, these processes can introduce pathogens that may be present on the exterior of the meat into the sterile interior. This process renders an ‘intact’ product ‘non-intact’ and requires altered cooking methods to ensure safety. The primary pathogens of concern for beef products are Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC are associated with approximately 265,000 illnesses and 3,600 hospitalizations annually. Since 2006, there have been 6 STEC outbreaks in the United States and 18 cases in Canada attributed to MT beef (MTB). The pathogen has also been implicated in 136 non-intact beef-related recalls. Due to the potential food safety hazards associated with MTB, mandatory labeling of these products was mandated in 2015 to inform consumers on how to safely handle the product. While this is a good step to inform consumers, it is unclear how familiar they are with the terms associated with these processes. Consumer’s knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, awareness, and behaviors related to MTBs is quite limited. This study uses an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, to assess consumer knowledge of MTB. Qualitative focus groups conducted throughout urban and rural North Carolina and Virginia found that although participants purchased MTBs, they were unaware of the process, did not prepare MTBs properly, wanted to know more about the process, and wanted applicable risk messages. A nationwide survey developed from the focus group findings found that demographic differences were associated with knowledge of; and how participants interact with MTBs. How demographics influence consumer’s beef safety knowledge, practices, and risky behaviors was further explored. Demographic characteristics were highly correlated with consumers’ behaviors surrounding beef storage, refrigerator temperature knowledge, defrosting behaviors, meat washing, and meat preparation behaviors. Collectively, the mixed methods research design provided insight into specific demographic characteristics related to consumer attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors surrounding beef safety. This data will help inform the development of well-crafted, culturally, and socially relevant risk messaging that may promote safe handling behaviors.
  • Revitalizing the Future of Food Safety Extension
    Arnold, Nicole L.; Schonberger, H. Lester; Ferelli, Angela; Murphy, Sarah I.; Yang, Lily L. (International Association for Food Protection, 2022-05-02)
    Originally established to address agricultural needs by applying research and education in U.S. communities, the Cooperative Extension System (CES) has become increasingly involved in food safety through the supply chain. CES plays an integral role in food safety through consumer education, food employee training, regulatory guidance, and agricultural education for youth and students. CES food safety efforts have evolved to respond to current events and evolving public needs; subsequently, CES personnel communicated a myriad of challenges, including overextension within their roles, dwindling financial support, and pedagogical shifts. As a result, CES personnel have opted for creative, innovative, and timely solutions that can be harnessed by others with ties to CES. This article is based on a roundtable with Extension experts on “Revitalizing the Future of Food Safety Extension,” held at the 2019 International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting detailing this imperative. This article serves as (i) a consolidated framework resource for educational purposes, (ii) an invitation to collaborate with food safety CES personnel, and (iii) a call for support and advocacy for CES and those within it. It also highlights the value and impact CES has, and will continue to have, in making food safer and more equitable.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Survival and Growth of attenuated Salmonella enterica serovars Newport and Typhimurium in Media Culture and Tomatoes
    Yang, Lily L. (Virginia Tech, 2014-07-28)
    Fresh market tomatoes have been associated with 15 multistate Salmonella outbreaks between 1973 and 2010. While, S. enterica survival has been studied in tomato plants, field studies have been limited. To understand pathogen growth and survival, in crop fields, surrogate or attenuated organisms must be developed and validated. The purpose of this study was to compare the growth and survival of seven attenuated S. enterica Typhimurium and Newport strains against virulent strains S. Typhimurium ATCC14028 and S. Newport J1892 in optimum (TSB and TSB+kan) and minimal M9 growth media, and in commercial, red ripe tomatoes. Bacterial growth in media was assessed via BioScreen. Tomatoes were separately inoculated with 7 Log CFU/g of each isolate via vacuum infiltration, surface spot inoculation, or diced inoculation. Populations of each strain were determined on Days 0, 1, 3, and 5. In media, there were few differences in overall growth and growth rates between mutant isolates and wild-type (P<0.05). Growth in M9 was less (P<0.01), while growth rates were higher (P<0.01) than in TSB. In tomatoes (per treatment), there were no significant differences between growth rates of each isolate compared to WT (P>0.05); however, Salmonella strains in diced tomatoes had a higher growth rate than that in spot treated tomatoes (P>0.05). The growths of all the isolates in tomatoes indicated that under the tested conditions, isolates acted similarly to their WT counterparts. Thus, these strains may be able to be used as surrogate organisms in field studies.