An Exploration of Doctoral Student Experiences of Recruiting Foodhandlers from Food Manufacturing and Food Service Sector Businesses for Food Safety Culture Research

Introduction: In recent years, the awareness of food safety culture has grown significantly, emphasizing its crucial role in ensuring food business success. Despite a surge in food safety culture research studies, particularly by doctoral students, there remains a dearth of literature addressing the challenges encountered in recruiting participants from food businesses and engaging food handlers. While medical publications shed light on recruitment challenges in clinical trials, comparable insights for food safety culture research are notably scarce.
Purpose: The study aims to examine the challenges encountered by doctoral students in recruiting research participants from food manufacturing and food service businesses for food safety culture focused research.

Methods: A group discussion involving PhD and professional doctorate students (n=5) and doctoral research supervisors (n=2) was conducted to delve into their experiences.

Results: The findings reveal common challenges faced by doctoral students in recruitment, including reluctance from business owners/managers to share project information with employees and fears of retribution among employees preventing participation. Successful recruitment strategies highlighted the importance of familiarity with the business, senior management endorsement, building rapport with food handlers, and offering incentives. However, online recruitment posed challenges due to fraudulent behavior aimed at obtaining offered incentives. Sector-specific nuances were discussed, with business owner recruitment proving more successful in the food service sector compared to food handler recruitment. Research supervisors emphasized the effectiveness of embedding doctoral students within businesses for successful projects. Reflecting on their experiences, the group discussion provided valuable recommendations for future food safety culture researchers.

Significance: This study contributes a comprehensive exploration of doctoral candidates' experiences in recruiting individuals and businesses for food safety culture research. While offering recommendations for future research approaches, it identifies the necessity for further investigations into the motivations and barriers for participation among food handlers. Such insights will guide future doctoral researchers in conducting successful food safety culture-focused research.