scholarly journals Street food handlers' food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices and consumers' perceptions about street food vending in Maseru, Lesotho

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (13) ◽  
pp. 302-316
Author(s):  
Ponts'o Letuka ◽  
Jane Nkhebenyane ◽  
Oriel Thekisoe

PurposeFood safety knowledge and hygienic practices by food handlers play an important role in the prevention of contamination of food prepared.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive survey was conducted in Maseru around the taxi ranks amongst 48 food handlers and 93 consumers using a semi-structured questionnaire for assessing food handler knowledge, attitudes and practices, open-ended questionnaire for obtaining consumer perceptions and observation checklist.FindingsMajority of the food handlers were females (60%) and males constituted only (40%). The mean age was 35.5 ± 10.3 and 28.2 ± 9.9 respectively for street vendors and consumers. There was a statistically significant difference in knowledge among the trained and untrained vendors (p = 0040). On average the vendor population that participated in this study was considered to have poor knowledge (scores < 50%) of food safety since they scored 49% ± 11, while 84% of the respondents were considered to have positive attitudes towards food safety. Only 6% of the consumers reported that they never buy street vended foods mainly due to the hygiene issues. The observation checklist showed that the vendors operated under unhygienic conditions and that there was scarcity of clean water supply and hand washing facilities.Originality/valueThis study provides knowledge that was previously unknown about food vending in Lesotho. It has significantly added to the body of knowledge on food safety in Lesotho which can be used to modify policies and structure food safety training for people involved in the informal trade.

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lígia Isoni Auad ◽  
Verônica Cortez Ginani ◽  
Elke Stedefeldt ◽  
Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽  
Aline Costa Santos Nunes ◽  
...  

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers’ practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers’ point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pınar Göbel ◽  
Nevin Şanlier ◽  
Sine Yilmaz ◽  
Onur Toka ◽  
Büşra Açikalin ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the levels of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of consumer. Design/methodology/approach In total, 1,161 volunteers were included in this study, which has been developed to measure the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of adults on food safety. Study data were collected through an online survey technique. Findings A statistically significant difference was determined between male and female participants and also at the education level considering total food safety attitude and practice scores (p < 0,001). It was determined that university graduates had higher scores at all scales than the median scores. When an assessment was made on the body mass index of the participants, it was seen that the implementation and attitude scales were statistically different from each other, and in paired comparisons on these scales, the average scores of normal-weight individuals were observed higher in the sub-dimensions than slightly obese individuals (p < 0.007; p < 0.001). Research limitations/implications Even though the population of the study was adults living in different cities, the results should not be generalized to all adults and the whole country. Also, the fact that the answers to the questions were not face-to-face, could create a bias. Although the reliability coefficient was found to be high, the data reported by the individuals participating in the study about their behavior formed the study results. Originality/value This study makes an important contribution to the literature. Determining the knowledge, attitude and behavior of consumers about food safety is important in ensuring food safety.


10.17158/325 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason O. Molina

<p>The study determined the relationships between food safety knowledge and practices of hospital food handlers in Davao City and also between their attitudes and practices regarding food safety. Questionnaire patterned after the Key Food Safety Guidelines of Pacific Northwest Publications was administered to 51food handlers to generate the data. It was found that hospital food handlers in Davao City are highly knowledgeable and have favorable attitudes in food safety. The extent of food safety practices of food handlers in general is high except for their practices in cooking foods adequately and in keeping foods at safe temperatures which are only at moderate extent. In addition, there was no significant difference in the knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers regarding food safety when they were grouped according to sex, age, level of education and length of service. In general, this study revealed that neither of the knowledge nor attitudes of the hospital food handlers were able to establish significant relationships with their practices regarding food safety.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Van Andaya Aquino ◽  
Tyron Yap ◽  
Jean Paolo Gomez Lacap ◽  
Gertrude Tuazon ◽  
Maribel Flores

PurposeThe study examines the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices, and the moderating effect of food safety training on the said interrelationships.Design/methodology/approachPredictive-causal was the primary research design used and partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was the statistical technique applied.FindingsResults showed that food safety knowledge significantly and positively influences attitudes towards food safety. It was further revealed that attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices are also significantly and positively related. Moderation analysis indicated that food safety training moderates the significant and positive relationship between attitudes towards food safety and food safety practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study has limitations. First, the unit of analysis is focused on food handlers in fast-food restaurants in Angeles City, Philippines. Other researchers may come up with similar studies on a larger scale – provincial, regional or national. Second, only food safety training as a construct was used as a moderator on the hypothesized relationships of the structural model. Other studies may expand and explore other moderating variables and/or mediating constructs that may affect the said hypothesized relationships.Practical implicationsBased on the present study, food safety knowledge was found to have a huge significant and direct influence on attitudes of fast-food restaurant food handlers towards food safety, as evidenced by the computed effect size. In short, knowledge on food safety is an integral factor when it comes to enhancing food safety attitudes of fast-food restaurant food handlers. When fast-food restaurant food handlers are well-equipped with the right food safety knowledge, they become more aware of the different food safety protocols and other pertinent food safety guidelines and procedures which can lead to favorable food safety attitudes.Social implicationsThe present study highlighted the moderating effect of food safety training on the relationship between attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices. Therefore, regular attendance of food handlers to food safety training is crucial in developing acceptable attitudes toward food safety, which in turn, favorably affect their food safety practices in fast-food restaurants.Originality/valueThe current study utilized PLS-SEM, a second-generation statistical technique, to measure the hypothesized relationships as compared to correlation tests performed by prior studies on the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices. PLS-SEM is suitable for this type of research design – predictive-causal – since this study involves model development and prediction. Furthermore, it employed moderation analysis to measure the moderating effects of food safety training on the identified hypothesized relationships of the structural model. Hence, methodologically, the present study employed new ways and insights in measuring the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices.


2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alekhya Sabbithi ◽  
S.G.D.N. Lakshmi Reddi ◽  
R. Naveen Kumar ◽  
Varanasi Bhaskar ◽  
G.M. Subba Rao ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize the key food safety practices among street food handlers that lead to microbial contamination in selected street foods of Hyderabad, India. These key food safety practices will help develop and design tailor-made training material for street food vendors in future. Design/methodology/approach It is a cross-sectional study conducted in south Indian city of Hyderabad. Stratified random sampling method was employed. A total of 463 samples of street foods were collected from five zones of Hyderabad. They included 163 salad toppings, 150 fresh fruit juices and 150 panipuri samples. Identification and enumeration of foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms (S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Bacillus cereus, Yersinia spp.) were performed as described by USFDA-BAM. Information on food safety knowledge and handling practices from street vendors were collected using a structured questionnaire. Associations between hygiene practices and bacterial pathogens were done using ANOVA. Risk estimation of food safety practices was assessed by calculating odds ratio. Findings Microbiological analysis indicated that a large number of carrot (98.1 percent) and onion (75.5 percent) samples were contaminated with E. coli. Peeled and cut fruits left uncovered have 13.4 times risk (OR: 2.40-74.8) of E. coli contamination compared to the covered ones. Panipuri samples picked from the vendors who did not have soap at the vending unit had significantly (p<0.001) higher contamination of fecal coliforms than those who had. Originality/value This study is the first of its kind in the study area.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein F. Hassan ◽  
Hani Dimassi ◽  
Zeina Nakat Karam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess level of food safety knowledge and self-reported practices among Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households and to identify the association between knowledge/practices and socio-demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,500 participants from different gender, age, area of residence, income, marital status and education. They completed a questionnaire of six questions about demographics, and 26 questions related to knowledge and self-reported practices in terms of food handling, storage, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene subgroups. SPSS v23 was used for statistical analyses. Student t-test and analysis of variance were conducted. Significance level of 0.05 was used. Findings On average, participants scored 55.6±16.3, 51.3±25.7, 67.4±19.3 and 89.1±16.3 on food handling, storage, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene, respectively, whereas the passing (score above 50 percent) rates were 64.5, 69.9, 90.5 and 99.1, respectively, for the different subgroups. Gender had significant (p<0.05) effect on food handling and personal hygiene; age, marital status and education had significant (p<0.05) effect on handling, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene; area of residence had significant (p<0.05) effect on storage, handling and usage of kitchen facilities; income had significant (p<0.05) effect on handling and usage of kitchen facilities. Overall mean food safety knowledge and self-reported practices score was 63.8±12.6; passing rate was 86.2; gender, age, area of residence, education, marital status and income had significant (p<0.05) effect. Food safety self-reported practices and knowledge scores were significantly (p<0.001) related to a weak to moderate correlation coefficient (R=0.34). Practical implications The results confirm the need for ongoing educational initiatives to improve the relatively low food safety knowledge and practices among the Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households. Originality/value No study has determined the food safety knowledge and self-reported practices of Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households before.


Heliyon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. e05485
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashanuzzaman ◽  
Shuva Bhowmik ◽  
Md. Shafiqur Rahman ◽  
M.U.M. Abu Zakaria ◽  
Liton Chandra Voumik ◽  
...  

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