THE FOOD SAFETY POLICY GAP: ESSAYS ON EMERGENCY FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA

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  • March 19, 2019
Creator
  • Chaifetz, Ashley
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Public Policy
Abstract
  • In an effort to detail, describe, categorize, and analyze the emergency food system of North Carolina, this research presents three essays focused on food pantry procedures as related to food safety. Given the focus on food insecurity, food safety is often a lower priority for food pantries; however, foodborne illness is a serious problem that affects 1 in 6 Americans each year. The first essay identifies and catalogues the standard operating procedures of 105 North Carolina food pantries, comparing those who partner with a formal food bank to those that operate independently, metropolitan with rural pantries, and food pantry managers who did and did not complete training in food safety. The second essay documents the food pantry supply chain and channels of distribution and evaluates them using a risk framework created specifically for emergency food. The results of the negative binomial analysis suggest that pantries that participate in a federal commodity program like TEFAP employ less risky practices, both in transport and storage (p<0.01). The third essay employs a difference-in-difference design to analyze new online food safety guidelines created based on the results of the first essay. Its null findings on modified North Carolina Food Establishment Inspection Report questions suggest that further research is required in order to improve food safety at food pantries, while paired t-tests on an isolated sample suggest the online guidelines can be effective when viewing the guidelines is required and/or guaranteed. The overall findings of this research provide insight to the practices and supply chain of the North Carolina emergency food system, add to the literature at the cross-section of food safety, food security, and nutrition, and allowed for the creation of best practices guidelines specific to food pantries.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Schulman, Michael
  • Gitterman, Daniel
  • Ammerman, Alice
  • Jagger, Pamela
  • Chapman, Benjamin
Degree
  • Doctor of Philosophy
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2015
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  • Chapel Hill, NC
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