New project encourages the public to become food safety scientists

A citizen science project, launched by Food Standards Scotland (FSS), calls on the public to participate in gathering important data which will shape future food safety messaging.

The FROST Project – which stands for Fridge Recording Over Set Time – will run from August and will turn everyday community members into food safety scientists from the comfort of their homes.

Temperature loggers, sent out by FSS, are to be placed in a participant’s fridge and will track its temperature over two weeks. The information collected will then be analysed by FSS to help determine the average temperature of fridges in households across Scotland.

“There are an estimated 43,000 cases of foodborne illness annually and your fridge can be the first line of defence when keeping food safe. Fridges need to be kept at a temperature between 0-5°C but, worryingly, a quarter of people in Scotland don’t know the correct temperature it should be at,” says Dr Emma Agnew, Senior Scientific Adviser at FSS.

“The temperature inside your fridge can vary for several different reasons, and therefore it’s important to know what temperature it’s at. Keeping food at the correct temperature will help prevent the growth of bacteria which could cause food poisoning.

“This is the first time that FSS has engaged in a citizen science project and we’re excited to be involving the public in our research.”

Participants will be required to fill out a questionnaire and will then be sent two temperature loggers which will automatically record the fridge’s temperature every 10 minutes. A pre-paid envelope will be provided to return the items.

For more information on the FROST project, and how to participate, visit the FSS  website: https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/frost