Knowledge and risk perceptions of foodborne disease by consumers and food handlers at restaurants with different food safety profiles.

Food handlers and consumers are responsible for avoiding foodborne diseases (FBD). Considering the meals consumed away from home, can the consumer identify the FBD risk level of the food that he/she consumes in restaurants? This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, risk perception, and optimistic bias of food handlers and consumers of restaurants and the relationship of these variables with the FBD risk of these establishments. Sixty-four handlers and 265 consumers of 14 restaurants in the city of Limeira - São Paulo, Brazil participated in the study.