Maintaining a cold chain from purchase to the home and at home: Consumer opinions

The importance of maintaining a cold chain for foods that require cold-storage should guide the habits of the modern consumer in this era of globalisation. Lack of time is the reason why consumers in everyday life often buy chilled and frozen food that either has a short preparation time or does not even require any further heat treatment. This article investigates the maintenance and understanding of the cold chain among consumers in the framework of food safety. Data were collected with a questionnaire completed by 116 consumers during a specific time of the day in stores in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and in surrounding districts. The results confirmed that the term “cold chain” is not well known among consumers. It was also shown that Slovenian and European consumers place the responsibility of maintaining a cold chain onto other parts of the food chain. One of the reasons for poor knowledge of the cold chain could be due to the unsatisfactory efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations, which are responsible for educating and informing consumers. The role of the consumer in maintaining a cold chain is more important than is currently thought, and is greater than the importance attached to other parts of the food chain. The authors believe that only the consumer can change the less than ideal situation revealed in this study. It is also important that we inform consumers of the unknown risks associated with improper food handling.