Development of an online food safety toolbox based on the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene: engaging users through mapping, chunking, and learning-by-asking

Abstract Objectives The paper describes designing and developing an online food safety toolbox that aims to elevate the food safety knowledge of food business operators, competent authorities, and trainers. Materials and Methods The material within the food safety toolbox was based on the Codex Alimentarius (Codex) General Principles of Food Hygiene (GPFH), an internationally recognized primary food safety standard. The GPFH provides a guide to elements that should be considered when establishing good hygienic practices (GHPs), which are subsequently managed through hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP). To support the understanding of how to apply the principles of GHPs and HACCP, the online food safety toolbox was developed. This toolbox was designed to enable users to access the principles quickly as a reminder for better understanding of more complex matters and conceptualizing, building, and maintaining food safety management systems. The learning approaches applied in the design of the toolbox were mapping, chunking (grouping topics into a logic sequence to enable an incremental approach to learning), and learning-by-asking. The self-directed learning approach collectively enables the user to understand, categorize, and contextualize food safety information for practical use. Mapping was performed to identify the different elements within the GPFH that formed the basis of the online platform and the categories in which basic information was provided for each. Results The material progresses into greater depth in the final toolbox platform and includes links to detailed descriptions of the underlying science. This user-centric design was chosen to address different users’ needs and reduce the entry barrier for contextually applying the presented GHPs and HACCP. Conclusions The GHP and HACCP Toolbox for Food Safety should be regarded as a reference resource rather than a training program to empower the user and ultimately enhance food safety practices.