When consumers are asked where they learnt to cook or from where comes their basic hygiene knowledge, most of them recognize the role that their moms played. This was confirmed during the visits that SafeConsume teams made to 75 households in 5 countries (UK, Norway, France, Portugal and Romania) in an attempt to reveal kitchen routines related to food safety. In young families’ households, women are the main responsible for domestic work, including cooking, cleaning and tidying up the kitchen and for educating their children to wash their hands, to wash fruits and vegetables, and to keep sensitive food refrigerated. Moms are also the first persons who are talking about microbes to their children.
Tips for Moms from SafeConsume:
- Practice the hygiene rules that you want your children to practice.
- Explain to your children the science behind dos and don’ts related to food safety.
- Stay yourself informed as new pathogens can emerge, new knowledge can appear and special advice is given by food safety authorities to prevent food borne illnesses.
We can consider moms as the final line of defense against food borne illnesses. So, let’s celebrate and honor all moms for ensuring food safety at home!