Minding the Store

Unregulated food pantries need to boost their food safety regimens, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Food Protection.

Researchers in North Carolina compared food safety practices of 105 food pantries across the state, and found that training was minimal and practices were often informal.

In about half of the states in the U.S., including North Carolina, the government does not inspect food pantries or enforce the same health standards as restaurants and grocery stores.

Benjamin Chapman, co-author of the study and an associate professor at North Carolina State University, said the lack of formal oversight probably stems from good intentions.

"It's such an important stream of food in the US for such a vulnerable population," he said. "So you don't want to set up a system where you create regulatory burdens for volunteers who in the goodness of their heart are just trying to get food to people, but at the same time you don't want unsafe food."

Needs Improvement

The study found that independent pantries had less likely to have rigorous training than larger facilities connected to a food bank.

Most had good policies for hand washing and minimizing cross-contamination.

But less than two thirds of pantry managers in the study said they had current information about food recalls, three-fourths of the volunteers lacked training about food handling, and many pantries lacked the proper equipment for storing perishable items.

People who rely on food pantries are also less likely to have access to health care, so the lack of safety standards puts a vulnerable population at risk, the study's authors said. Chapman said while many volunteers lacked training, they had a passion to do better.

"It was striking when we were doing the interviews with pantry managers about their passion for the people they're serving as well as their interest in not making those individuals sick," he said. "It's real bad business for a restaurant to have an outbreak. But in this case it was very personal."

The researchers have already launched a training site to help pantries improve. The study does not make policy recommendations, but calls for better support for smaller operations.

Read More:

• Scientists Evaluate Food Safety Practices to Help Support Nonprofit Food Pantries (NC State News)
• Study: Food Pantries Have ‘Room For Improvement' In Food Safety (Food Safety News)