Texas Cooperative Extension Service          USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

Thank you for your interest in this survey. All data collection has ceased.
If you would like a similar survey posted to this portal, please contact us.

CSREES-USDA: National Integrated Food Safety Initiative Study
Improving Safety of Complex Food Items Using Electron Beam Technology
2004 Food Industry Professionals and Cooperative Extension Educators

2005 Follow-up Study

The goal of this study is to determine the food safety and food irradiation competencies and perceptions of food industry professionals and Cooperative Extension educators.

Required Information:
E-mail Address:

In the past 12 months, how many times did you communicate with clientele about food irradiation issues?

0
1-5
6-10
11-15
16 or more

Please use this textbox to describe your confidence, knowledge, or competence while discussing food irradiation issues with clientele.

If you did not communicate with clientele about food irradiation issues, please use this textbox to describe "why not?"

Food Safety and Food Irradiation: From the responses available, please select the one that best represents what you think about the statement by clicking the appropriate button. All statements in this section refer to the following scale.

SD = Strongly Disagree; D = Disagree; A = Agree; SA = Strongly Agree

Statements SD D A SA

1.   Foodborne illness caused from bacteria on meats is a serious problem.

2.   Foodborne illness caused from bacteria on fruits and vegetables is a serious problem.

3.   I am interested in learning more about food safety issues.

4.   Not enough research has been done to prove that food irradiation is safe.

5.   Irradiation can be used to make spoiled foods marketable.

6.   Irradiation will make food radioactive.

7.   Food irradiation reduces the nutritional content of food more than other processing techniques.

8.   Food irradiation has been endorsed by the American Medical Assn. and American Dietetic Assn.

9.   Irradiation will improve the safety of food available to consumers.

10. I would buy irradiated food if it were available.

11. Irradiation facilities give off radiation to the surrounding community.

12. I feel comfortable informing customers about food irradiation.

13. Food that has been irradiated is safe to eat.

14. Food that has been irradiated can become re-contaminated.

15. Irradiated food causes cancer.

16. I would serve irradiated foods to my family.

17. Students will benefit knowing about food irradiation as it relates to health and wellness.

18. I am interested in learning more about food irradiation.

19. I feel scientifically confident about food irradiation.

20. I would teach about food irradiation if I had more knowledge on the topic.

Please click the appropriate column that best represents what you think about the following statements. Use the following scale to answer each statement.

P = Poor; F = Fair; A = Average; G = Good; E = Excellent

Statements

 P F A G E
21. How would you rate your knowledge of food safety?
22. How would you rate your knowledge of food irradiation?
23. How would you rate your understanding of the technology behind food irradiation?

Rate your level of concern with the following food safety issues by clicking the appropriate column. The scale (1-10) indicates levels of No Concern (1), to the Highest Level of Concern (10).

Not at All Concerned<------------>Very Concerned
Issues 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
24. Hormones in food
25. Pesticide residues
26. Artificial additives
27. Electricity-based food irradiation
28. Genetically modified food ingredients
29. Radioactive isotope-based food irradiation
30. Bacteria in food such as E-coli or Salmonella

If you would like to describe any of the concern levels for items 24-30, please use the textbox below to record your comments.

Rate the level of concern you believe consumers have with regard to the purchase, distribution, and consumption of irradiated foods. The scale (1-10) indicates levels of No Concern (1), to the Highest Level of Concern (10).

Not at All Concerned<------------>Very Concerned
Issues 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
31. Toxic Residues
32. Food becoming radioactive
33. Creation of harmful chemicals
34. Decrease nutrient value
35. Increase spoilage potential due to tissue injury
36. Potential harm to the environment

For items 31-36, do you believe your responses were representative of consumers?

Yes
No

37. Please rank the following factors, 1 through 5, as to their importance to you or your company.

Reduction in the instances of food borne pathogens
Phytosanitation
Nutrient or phytochemical content of produce
Spoilage reduction and/or shelf life
Quality enhancement

38. Which of the following benefits do you believe electron beam irradiation would be most effectively applied toward? In other words, which would electron beam have the best use in correcting or reducing the instance? Rank 1 through 3.

An additional food safety measure to insure a safe food supply
A replacement for conventional chemical produce treatments currently in use to reduce microbial contamination of foods
A means of extending self-life and reducing spoilage

From the responses available, please select the one that best represents your thoughts about the statement by clicking the appropriate button. All statements in this section refer to the following scale.

SD = Strongly Disagree; D = Disagree; A = Agree; SA = Strongly Agree

Statements SD D A SA

39. Logistics of irradiating and distributing foods are a major concern of irradiating foods.

40. Lack of consumer acceptance is a major concern of irradiating foods.

41. Infrastructure investment is a major concern of adopting irradiation for food safety.

42. Processor cost is a major concern regarding the adoption of irradiation for food safety.

43. Consumer cost is a major concern regarding the adoption of irradiation for food safety.

Please select the best answer for each question by clicking on the appropriate button.

44. Food irradiation:

a. Can be an additional food safety processing step.
b. Can be used to make spoiled food marketable.
c. Is a substitute for good manufacturing practices (GMP).
d. Can replace the need for good hygienic practices in a processing plant.

45. Irradiation:

a. Deposits toxic residues on food.
b. Damages the DNA of microorganisms.
c. Decreases available water for microorganisms.
d. Raises temperature of food to eliminate microorganisms.

46. Approved doses of food irradiation can:

a. Sterilize food.
b. Inactivate viruses.
c. Destroy bacteria.
d. Destroy toxins produced by microorganisms.

47. Which of the following is NOT a benefit of food irradiation at approved doses?

a. Destroys insects on or in fresh produce.
b. Makes fresh meat and poultry shelf-stable.
c. Delays the ripening of fresh fruits and vegetables.
d. Inhibits the sprouting of root crops such as potatoes.

48. Compared to cooked or frozen food, food that is irradiated at approved doses has:

a. Higher pathogen counts.
b. Higher levels of radioactivity.
c. More toxic compounds.
d. Similar nutritional value.

Demographics

Which group most closely describes your job?
Produce Industry
Health Inspector
Food Safety Inspector

 What is your gender?
Male
Female
What is your highest educational level?
High School Diploma or equivalent
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Doctorate degree
 How many years have you been involved as a professional in the food industry or Cooperative Extension?
0-5
6-10
11-20
21 (+)
What is your age group?
Less than 30
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 or more
 Which of the following best describes your ethnicity?
White/Caucasian
African American
Hispanic American
Multi-racial
Other, please specify

Thank you for your time and participation!

Thank you for your interest in this survey. All data collection has ceased.
If you would like a similar survey posted to this portal, please contact us.