A recent project led by Purdue University researchers has identified challenges to food safety in the low-moisture food industry, ranging from culture-based barriers to hygienic design and factors affecting the adoption of food safety technologies.

The study was headed by Yaohua Feng, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Extension specialist in Purdue University’s Department of Food Science and Principal Investigator in the Food Safety Human Factor Lab, who was joined by Purdue Ph.D. student Han Cheng. Dr Feng’s team comprised researchers from multiple universities and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

To better understand food safety culture, research and education needs, and barriers to adopting food safety technologies, the researchers used a needs assessment, which was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Center for Low Moisture Food Safety at Michigan State University. Industry participants were recruited to take part in the two-part needs assessment, which included 1) online interviews and a debriefing session with dry food production upper management, and 2) an anonymous online survey disseminated to a group of regulators, industry professionals, and academics with low-moisture food experience.

A three-pronged food safety culture framework was created based on feedback from the participants, of which the key components are: infrastructure conditions; an individual’s food safety knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions; and organizational conditions.

Related to infrastructure, the needs assessment highlighted a lack of hygienically designed facilities to be a challenge. Since low-moisture foods were historically considered to have low microbial food safety risks, hygienic design was not often considered in the construction of older production plants.

Moreover, not as much is known about the best methods for dry sanitation in low-moisture food production facilities, with most sanitation technologies and validation studies based on high-moisture food in the past. Without data proving the most effective cleaning and sanitation procedures for specific low-moisture products, and without filling existing knowledge gaps about pathogen reduction in low-moisture environments, industry may find it difficult to design and implement sanitation protocols.

Also identified in the study was the difficulty of communicating low-moisture food safety risks within industry. Again, because low-moisture foods are widely perceived as safe, it can be challenging to convince upper management and employees to invest in food safety initiatives. The researchers recommend thoughtfully tailoring the messages communicated to each party to best convince them of the importance of food safety.

Regarding the adoption of food safety-enhancing technologies, five barriers were identified in both parts of the needs assessment: budgetary priority, operation constraints, technology validation, consumer acceptance, and meeting desired product quality and functionality. Many participants mentioned the resistance they have faced in justifying the marginal increase in safety that would come with the purchase of new technologies. Additionally, participants noted the limited availability of commercial processing technologies that are effective at reducing microbial load in low-moisture foods while not compromising quality.