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This research project will undertake a comprehensive review covering consumer practices, particularly focusing on the risks associated with cross-contamination by the consumer during food preparation.
<p>In order to try to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness that originates in the home, it is important to inform consumers of actions to take in their homes that reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
<p>To ensure that the risks are correctly noted and that suitable information can be given, research is needed to understand the risks in the people's homes more fully, and to study what actions can be taken to reduce them effectively.
<p>There are many published papers concerning cross-contamination risks in the domestic environment, and intervention measures that may be useful.
<p>Before undertaking new research, it is important to review previous and current research in this field in order to ensure that new research commissioned by the Agency is built upon a sound foundation of knowledge and that it does not repeat work already done or underway.
<p>This project will undertake a detailed review of previous work, or work known to be under way on cross-contamination risks concerning food pathogens in the domestic environment.
<p>The review will attempt to cover the potential for practices to create a risk and to increase that risk.
The work will involve a search of information in the public domain relating to cross-contamination issues in the domestic environment, together with a search for unpublished or ongoing research.
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The final report, "<a href="http://www.foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_report_id=405" target="_new">Literature Review of Past and On-going Research into Consumer Practices, Focusing on Cross-contamination during Food Preparation</A>" is available at Foodbase, an open access repository of the <acronym title="Food Standards Agency"> FSA</acronym>.
<p>The latter will be done by contacting key research groups who have worked in this area, to establish the extent of unpublished work and obtain copies of abstracts or results.
<p>The information obtained from this trawl will be critically reviewed and conclusions drawn.
<p>A final report will discuss the results of work done, highlight key outputs, and analyse gaps in the information that require further work.
<p>The gap analysis will include a prioritisation of future work requirements to give the Agency an indication of the most important areas that require researching in the shorter term.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.