The environment in which behaviours are learned: a pilot assessment of high school teaching kitchens as food safety learning environments in Ontario

Abstract

Youth represent a unique audience for consumer food safety education and incorporating such education into existing curricula could facilitate delivery. However, successful delivery may depend, in part, on the facilities in which said training occurs. Since little is known about school teaching kitchen set-ups as related to food safety education, we conducted a pilot assessment of the physical learning environment of four Ontario high school teaching kitchen classrooms. We visited each classroom three times and assessed its characteristics using a modified version of the provincial food premises inspection report. Kitchen layout varied by school, and it was the built classroom characteristic with the greatest potential impact. Several characteristics unique to school teaching kitchens were noted, including whether the classroom teaching area and food preparation area were separated. Despite the variation between classrooms, all had physical characteristics sufficient to meet the minimum requirements for food service premises in Ontario. Nevertheless, this pilot assessment highlights nuanced factors unique to high school teaching kitchen classrooms that may impact the delivery of food safety education and the development of safe food handing behaviours. Findings can support conversations between public health, food safety authorities, and school stakeholders to enhance food safety learning environments in schools.