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Using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) to set Science-Based Handwashing Standards
Background: Handwashing protocols in Foodservice are intuitively based on risk – “I don’t want to be tomorrow’s headline!” This is tempered by factors that influence profitability, like labor and direct costs. Operations personnel are under constant pressure for productivity gains, creating a downward influence on less measurable effectiveness factors, and the reality of low probability of a foodborne illness outbreak.
Food Safety and Quality Assurance departments are staffed with technical professionals with expertise in the severity of risks presented by individual pathogens. Duels between Severity and Probability proponents are commonly won by Operations who have the numbers to support their position.
Hypothesis: Foodservice operators can better protect their customers, staff, and brand value by making more informed, risk-based standard operating procedure choices, particularly on handwash frequency to significantly reduce Norovirus risk.
Research Method: Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) modeling will be used to connect Norovirus related science to actual restaurant food handling scenarios – converting the risk directly to recommended hand washes per employee hour (HW/EH). This will include the Norovirus outbreak risks for lower vs. higher HW/EH rates.
Principle Investigator: Dr. Amanda Wilson, U. of Arizona – Jim A will get her exact title and get her verbal approval before posting it
Research Coordinator and Co-Investigator: Dr. Jim Arbogast, JWA Advanced Science Consulting LLC
Timing: This project has preliminary funding and will kick off this month. The intent is to complete the project and submit a manuscript for publication in February 2026.
Interested in more detail or possible funding to showcase your leadership? Please get in touch with us!
Jim Mann jmann@handwashingforlife.org | (847) 691-9498
