Food safety practices of persons with HIV/AIDS who use a food assistance program

The purpose of this study was to identify food safety practices of persons with HIV/AIDS and to determine if food safety education has an effect on food safety practices. The subjects included persons utilizing the food pantry. A survey was used to determine food safety practices and if food safety education had been received. Subjects were predominantly African-American (66%) and had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS an average of 5.3 +/- 3.7 years ago. An independent T-test showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between mean food safety practice scores for subjects who reported previous food safety education and those who did not. The majority of subjects reported practicing safe food handling, including consuming properly cooked eggs and hamburger and washing their hands after handling raw meats. However, the safest method of food safety was not always reported. A need for food safety education in this population was identified.