A study to assess the assess the food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20193969Keywords:
Food handlers, Food safety knowledge, Hygienic practicesAbstract
Background: Improper food production, handling, and preparation techniques have direct influence on health. A food borne disease is a disease usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through ingestion of food. The objective of the present study was to assess the food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers and to assess the improvement in knowledge and hygienic practices after educational intervention.
Methods: This was a longitudinal educational interventional study, carried out during October to December 2017 among 50 randomly selected food handlers in and around Gandhi Medical College campus, where the study subjects were interviewed by using a questionnaire in local language regarding their knowledge and practices of food handling, and were then later educated on proper food handling practices by lecture and demonstration method followed by a post intervention interview after a gap of 2 weeks.
Results: Out of 50 food handlers, 62% had knowledge of the food borne diseases and it raises up to 100% post intervention. During pre-intervention, only 78% of the participants used to wash their hands before preparing meal and after intervention 92% were washing their hands before preparing meal.
Conclusions: Food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers improved by 73% after the educational intervention. Maximum improvement was seen in the use of gloves, caps and hand washing practices.
References
Food safety. Available at: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety. Accessed on 15 June 2019.
Pawar VA, Pawar PR. Costus speciosus: an important medicinal plant. Int J Sci Res. 2014;3(7):28.
Kubde SR, Pattankar J, Kokiwar PR. Knowledge and food hygiene practices among food handlers in food establishments. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2016;3:251-6.
Park K. Nutrition and Health. In: Park’s Text Book of Preventive and Social Medicine. 24th ed. India: Bhanot Publishers; 2015.
Akabanda F, Hlortsi EH, Owusu-Kwarteng J. Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of institutional food-handlers in Ghana. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):40.
Lazou T, Georgiadis M, Pentieva K, McKevitt A, Iossifidou E. Food safety knowledge and food-handling practices of Greek university students: A questionnaire-based survey. Food Control. 2012;28(2):400-11.
