Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATIONS 
It is acknowledged that while some food handlers are not aware of such rules as stated by the WHO, they 
may actually be practicing them. The Reception Model of Communication states that messages are open and 
polysemic, and interpreted according to the context and culture of the receiver (McQuail, 2000). In this study, such 
context may include the food handlers’ early training regarding personal hygiene, their household practices in food 
handling, and work practices in other food service establishments where they had been employed. All these are 
imbibed by the food handler as the accepted way to do things 
The food safety communication process revolved around the work group – the food handlers and their 
supervisors. Communication was both verbal and non-verbal. Communication took a verbal form as safe food 
handling procedures were explained to newcomers and whenever their attention was called for violations.
Communication was also non-verbal through the work place behavior exhibited by the supervisors and more senior 
members of the group. Everyone had to adapt to the work place and its limitations, thus developing a “group-based 
understanding of the situation” (Severin and Tankard, 1997, p. 221).
The following recommendations are presented. All food service facilities should be required to have food 
safety manuals with simple explanations of safe food handling procedures. A simple checklist should be included 
which will serve as the basis for internal monitoring to ensure that important points for safety of food are not 
neglected.
Food safety training can be a combination of formal and informal methods, but there must be a systematic 
process for ensuring that all food handlers are properly trained by accredited training organizations. The authority 
figure in the kitchen – whether he/she is called an Executive Chef or Chief Cook – should be formally appointed or 
deputized as the person responsible for food safety. To legitimize such authority, this person should have the 
necessary training and accreditation on food safety from credible and recognized institutions or groups. For those 
who go through formal schooling to become chefs, this is part of their school curriculum. But for those who become 
cooks by accident, food safety training must be a prerequisite to assuming the position. The pace of kitchen work 
and the demands by customers for prompt and efficient service tend to make food handlers compromise food safety 
standards. Thus, the role of the Executive Chef or Chief Cook becomes vital in ensuring that food safety is not 
compromised.
Owners of food service establishments should be required to provide the necessary supplies and materials, 
such as soap and water, in order to make possible the observance of the WHO golden rules. Strict inspection and 
sanctions for noncompliance should be imposed unconditionally by government agencies. 
Government regulatory agencies should impose requirements for minimum kitchen size in relation to total 
dining capacity. This would ensure sufficient space for the implementation of required food safety practices and the 
proper flow of work from receiving of the raw materials, storage, preparation and service in order to avoid the 
possibility of cross contamination between raw and cooked food. This recommendation is made in light of the 
researcher’s observations that a cramped kitchen impedes implementation of safe food handling practices. 

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