Mojca Jevšnik | University of Ljubljana (original) (raw)

Papers by Mojca Jevšnik

Foodborne diseases represent an important public health challenge. Improper food handling can cau... more Foodborne diseases represent an important public health challenge. Improper food handling can cause food contamination at any stage of the food supply chain. Food safety knowledge and training alone cannot be effective enough to change food handler’s hygiene behavior in practice. Employees’ behavior is significantly influenced by various factors at both individual (knowledge, practice, motivation) and organizational levels (food safety culture). If the factors are positively oriented and under control, food handlers have a better attitude and awareness of the importance to ensure food safety by observing all hygiene requirements. Companies that deal with people as a risk factor use nudge tools which can, through their different approaches, significantly influence behavioral changes. Nudge tools that change people's behavior in a predictable way, can be used to improve hygiene behavior also in food establishments. In the studies so far, the most commonly used nudge tools are prim...

In this paper we discuss about the scope of sanitary engineering regarding the prevention and con... more In this paper we discuss about the scope of sanitary engineering regarding the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in Slovenia. The jurisdiction of the Health Inspectorate and the findings of inspection in this field for a period of three years (2011-2013) are presented. The profile of sanitary Received: 1. 10. 2014 Accepted: 6. 11. 2014 1 Splošna bolnišnica Celje Oblakova ulica 5, 3000 Celje, Slovenija 2 Univerzitetna Klinika za pljučne bolezni in alergijo Golnik Golnik 36, 4204 Golnik, Slovenija 3 Univerza v Ljubljani, Zdravstvena fakulteta, Oddelek za sanitarno inženirstvo Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija 4 Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana Zaloška cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija 5 Zdravstveni inšpektorat Republike Slovenije Vožarski pot 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija ∗ Corresponding author dr. Mojca Jevšnik Univerza v Ljubljani, Zdravstvena fakulteta, Oddelek za sanitarno inženirstvo Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija mojca.je...

Food quality and food safety are vital in processes where products are in contact with various ma... more Food quality and food safety are vital in processes where products are in contact with various materials. In case of dried egg pasta trays with wooden frames were used for centuries, however with development of different materials, wood was slowly abandoned and replaced by plastic. Nevertheless there are some hygienic considerations using plastic frames in the industry of the dried egg pasta. In this research plastic and wooden trays were analysed by swabbing (N=150) and compared by total number of aerobic counts using PetrifilmTM. Results of this research showed that the total CFU/20 cm2 for wood trays, are statistically measured significantly (p< 0.001) lower (38 times) than plastic trays independent from location of taken swab and that 28 % swabs on plastic frames exceeded 200 CFU/20 cm2 . Wood in food industry can be as much hygienic as plastic material on condition that is sanitised and maintained properly.

The prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections are one of the most important indi... more The prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections are one of the most important indicators of quality in healthcare institutions and their employees. For this purpose, experts in this field are attempting to find improvements; one of them is called “nudging”. This study aims to present the importance of providing hand hygiene quality in nurses and to analyse the effectiveness of a selected nudging tool in practice. An observation checklist was made to evaluate nurses in a selected nursing home in Ljubljana. Based on data analysis, a picture of male eyes as hygiene promotion and how it affects the change in hygiene compliance of the nurses was tested. After a change in the environment, hand hygiene improved; the greatest improvement was seen prior to the preparation of devices for personal hygiene, before the procedure, after washing the patient’s face, body, back and hands, after washing the feet, and after the whole procedure was completed. With the use of behavioural ...

V clanku so obrazložitve predpisov o ravnanju z organskimi kuhinjskimi odpadki, odpadnimi jedilni... more V clanku so obrazložitve predpisov o ravnanju z organskimi kuhinjskimi odpadki, odpadnimi jedilnimi olji in higieni živil. Predstavljeni so rezultati raziskave obstojece prakse obvladovanja odpadkov in odpadnih jedilnih olj v gostinskih obratih v Sloveniji. Podatki so bili zbrani v letu 2004 z anonimnim anketnim vprasalnikom, ki ga je izpolnilo 228 udeležencev raziskave. Rezultati razisave kažejo, da so povprecne dnevne kolicine organskih odpadkov nizke, do 25 litrov na dan pri skoraj dveh tretjinah vprasanih; 26 % vprasanih ima mesecno nad 25 litrov odpadnega jedilnega olja, 20,1 % pa samo do 5 litrov na mesec. Pogodbo z zbiralcem kuhinjskih odpadkov ima 49,8 % anketiranih; 28,3 % vprasanih odpadkov ne locuje, temvec jih odstranjujejo skupaj z ostalimi komunalnimi odpadki. Prostor za zbiranje organskih odpadkov je pri vec kot dveh tretjinah vprasanih urejen skladno z vecino sanitarno-tehnicnih in higienskih zahtev. Glede na rezultate raziskave so predlagane usmeritve in priporocila...

ABSTRACT Due to the number of food-related incidents and reported outbreaks worldwide, food quali... more ABSTRACT Due to the number of food-related incidents and reported outbreaks worldwide, food quality and food safety have become a hot topic, also in everyday life. But risk perception research indicates that common people perceive risks differently from experts. Although outbreaks of food poisoning are usually well documented in the media, there is very little attention paid to the outbreaks which occur as consequence of improper food handling at home. Consumers in everyday life often do not respect basic principles of food safety and as such, at the end of the food supply chain, present a risk for themselves and their near relatives and friends. Several studies highlighted gaps in food safety knowledge and some critical safety violations regarding food handling at home. Global food safety will be achieved only when every single link in the food supply chain will entirely become master of its particular area and will trust in the activity of both the previous and the following link in the food safety circle called the food supply chain, not ignoring the consumer as the one who should be aware of potential risks, proper handling and preparation of food for safe and balanced everyday meals. Only safety-conscious consumers can become active partners within the food safety circle. In this chapter, a review of consumer studies and their conclusions concerning food safety knowledge and practices will be presented. Also the role and responsibility of consumer as a last link in the food supply chain will be discussed.

Freezing is still the best way to preserve food when is carried out properly and allows productio... more Freezing is still the best way to preserve food when is carried out properly and allows production of food without any chemical preservatives. It is important to accurately predict the freezing time of different kinds of food to assess the quality and safety of the foodstuffs, processing requirements, and economical aspects of food freezing. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of food product composition on freezing time. The research based on hypothesis: the composition of food product has significant effect on freezing time considering that the products have the same shape, mass and relief. In our research we recorded four batches of standard product with three different fillings (chocolate, vanilla and forest fruit) at the same freezing conditions. The products from puff pastry were always made from the same ingredients and also mass, shape, relief, slab and surface were constant. The core temperature after 41 minutes of freezing at air temperature – 32 o C ...

The article deals with genetically modified organisms in food which have a rather short history i... more The article deals with genetically modified organisms in food which have a rather short history in human diet. Genetic engineering in undoubtedly the strongest weapon developed by man to reshape nature. Advocates of genetically modified food believe this will enable will bring a variegated, cheaper and qualitative diet, believe in progress in medicine and pharmacy and cleaner environment. Greatest optimists see it as a formula to abolish hunger in the world. On the other hand, skeptics maintain that there is no proof that genetically modified food is absolutely safe in the long run. More time and means should be dedicated to research work which will bring answers to at least two questions: is consumption of genetically modified food safe in the long run and will genetic manipulation of plants influence the environment. All over the world, protests against genetically modified food are organized. In Slovenia as well, the theme of genetically modified organisms in food is becoming mor...

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 2010

Noroviruses (NoVs) and Hepatitis A virus (HAV) are significant agents of foodborne human viral il... more Noroviruses (NoVs) and Hepatitis A virus (HAV) are significant agents of foodborne human viral illness worldwide, both as agents of greatest concern from the consumption of shellfish. In the framework of official national monitoring shellfish samples have been collected since 2013 to determine the spread of NoVs and HAV. Contamination of shellfish samples with NoVs varied from 25% in year 2014 to 40% in year 2015. HAV was not found in any of the analyzed samples, which correlates with the low number of human infections in Slovenia. Alongside official surveillance, semi-structured interviews were carried out with local shellfish farmers regarding this subject. The qualitative analysis highlighted that Slovenian shellfish farmers are aware of food safety hazards, especially associated with hazards to primary production, but only in the context of Escherichia coli as an indicator microorganism, and not in the concept of viral food safety. Despite detected foodborne viruses in shellfish...

In the globalization and rapid industrial development times food safety assurance is one of the b... more In the globalization and rapid industrial development times food safety assurance is one of the basic conditions for protection of public health. For this purpose knowledge and awareness of personal hygiene among food handlers were determined in one of the middle-sized meat processing plants. It was found out that food handlers are aware of personal hygiene, but do not always practice it. Were observed problems in inter – social relations and communication difficulties at all levels, which can influence on quality of work performed and consequently on food safety assurance. Awareness of importance of good hygiene practice is based upon sense and is not uniformed. Periodicall, thematicall and methodologicall adapted trainings are crucial for food safety.

Food safety is an area that has to keep pace with the quick and intense economic development and ... more Food safety is an area that has to keep pace with the quick and intense economic development and regulatory requirements. The puropse of the contribution is to show the meaning and understanding of novelties of food safety in the field of primary production. Qualitative and quantitative methods of approach were used. Textual material for the qualitative analysis was acquired from two sources, namely the seven partly structured interviews (with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations) and 78 ansvers of one open-ended question in a questionnaire survey relayed to farmers (the recipients of finances form the SKOP programme for the year 2005). In representatives’ of governmental and nongovernmental organizations opinion, the key factor for ensuring food safety is the very responsibility. The problem of shared competence is strongly highlighted. For provision of effective and traceable system of good practices with the intention of production of qualitative and...

Sanitarno inženirstvo International Journal of Sanitary Engineering Research, 2020

Good hygiene practice is an important element in terms of preventing the spread of infections, bu... more Good hygiene practice is an important element in terms of preventing the spread of infections, but it is not always carried out according to instructions among employees in hygienically sensitive work processes. To improve this, tools for nudging hygienic behaviour have been developed, which subconsciously encourage the individual to perform the desired hygienic behaviour. Examples of activity where employees and children constantly come into contact with pathogenic microorganisms are educational institutions (kindergartens). By observing the working process in the selected kindergartens, we wanted to determine the time, technique, and frequency of handwashing among childcare workers and children. In the case of the first ones, we wanted to find out whether they also wear personal protective work equipment. Based on the findings, we wanted to implement the selected nudging tools for better hygiene behaviour. In the first half of the observation, we found that the hygienic behaviour ...

Foods

Food safety during pregnancy and postpartum is important for preventing foodborne diseases, while... more Food safety during pregnancy and postpartum is important for preventing foodborne diseases, while pregnant women are considered vulnerable due to their immunomodulatory condition. The current study aimed to investigate the self-reported food safety knowledge and practices of pregnant women and postpartum mothers in Slovenia using an online questionnaire and to compare the results with nonpregnant women as a control group. The study was conducted with 426 women, of whom 145 were pregnant, 191 were not pregnant, and 90 were postpartum. The online questionnaire consisted of questions related to food safety risk perception, hand hygiene, food purchase, food storage, food preparation and handling of infant formula and breast milk. The results showed that women generally have basic knowledge of proper food handling and are aware of food safety, but some specific gaps were identified in food handling at home, especially concerning microbiological risks. However, the results showed that pre...

British Food Journal

PurposeThis cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the compliance of hygienic and technical stan... more PurposeThis cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the compliance of hygienic and technical standards of street food vendors in Slovenia with the requirements of the general hygienic food principals set in the Codex Alimentarius and Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.Design/methodology/approachFood vendors were observed directly and discretely using a semi-structured observation sheet that allowed fast evaluation. The employee's behaviour was not affected during the observations because they were not aware of being observed. Each observation lasted approximately 30 min. Food vendors were divided into groups according to their location, type of facility, number of employees and type of food sold.FindingsDepending on the type of street vendor, more inconsistencies were found amongst food stands compared to food trucks and kiosks. Most food trucks and kiosks scored very high in both personal and hygienic-technical standards. Some of the major inconsistencies...

Sanitarno inženirstvo International Journal of Sanitary Engineering Research

Teaching microbiological food safety and food safety in general at the primary school level is cr... more Teaching microbiological food safety and food safety in general at the primary school level is crucial, because behaviour is more easily influenced at that stage. The purpose of this review was to identify challenges in the education of primary school children related to microbiological food safety and to review the type of activities published and evaluated in the scientific literature targeting primary school children. The most frequently applied approach in the reviewed studies is target population-tailored workshops. The knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) model is most widely used for evaluation purposes, based mostly on the self-report and recall levels. Studies that compared theoretical and practical educational approaches unanimously demonstrated that theoretical awareness is not effective for changing and maintaining appropriate behaviour, whereas experiences had a significant impact. The review highlighted the differences and deficiencies in home economic teachers rega...