Evaluation of food handling practice among New Zealanders and other developed countries as a main risk factor for campylobacteriosis rate

New Zealand has a much higher rate of reported campylobacteriosis cases than the rest of the developed world. The two main risk factors identified internationally for campylobacteriosis are, consumption of undercooked chicken and cross-contamination during food preparation. One possible reason is that New Zealanders have poorer home hygiene practices during food preparation than the citizens of other developed countries. The objective of this study was to investigate cross-contamination during chicken preparation at home as a possible hypothesis to explain the high reported rate of campylobacteriosis. An extensive search of data bases of publications concerned with consumer food handling practices or self-reported practices, consumers' knowledge or perception about food safety and consumers' observed practices, was conducted. Personal communication with science groups in New Zealand and the world were also carried out. It was found that in New Zealand there is a lack of data regarding consumer knowledge and studies on handling practices. The few studies conducted in New Zealand were not comprehensive. It appears from the findings of this study, that New Zealanders' knowledge of basic food hygiene is lower in comparison to people of other developed countries. For example, New Zealanders scored the lowest in their knowledge about food safety or hygiene. Most of the evidence collected in this study supports the hypothesis that New Zealanders are poorer in home hygiene than people of other developed countries, and this has possibly contributed to New Zealand having the highest rate of campylobacteriosis among developed countries.