Safe Food Handling Advice Provided on Question-and-Answer Web Sites Is Inconsistent.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of information about safe food handling posted on online question-and-answer (Q&A) Web sites and forums.

Design: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze answers to questions posted on 4 Q&A platforms (Reddit, Yahoo! Answers, Quora, and Stack Exchange) employing a structured coding form. Questions were identified from November 2018 to May 2019 using an iterative search.

Participants: Users of online Q&A platforms.

Main Outcome Measure: Answer accuracy (incorrect, partially correct, or correct in relation to government guidelines).

Analysis: A multivariable ordinal regression model was developed to identify factors associated (at the P < .01 level) with answer accuracy.

Results: Questions (n = 160) were posted from 2006 to 2019. Of 625 answers to these questions, 41% were classified as correct, and 20% as partially correct. Answer accuracy differed among the 4 platforms. Answers to questions about adequate cooking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.49, P < .001) and time-temperature control (OR = 0.33, 95% CI, 0.21-0.51, P < .001) constructs were less likely to be correct than answers to other questions. Top-rated answers were more likely to be correct than other answers (OR = 2.01, 95% CI, 1.40-2.90, P < .001).

Conclusions And Implications: The accuracy of food safety information exchanged on online Q&A platforms is inconsistent. Enhanced food safety promotion and education interventions on these platforms are warranted.