"From Preparation to Consumption.” Food Safety Practices among Public Food Handler’s in Enugu Metropolis.
Main Article Content
Keywords
Food safety, Food contamination, Food handling, Nigeria, Hygiene
Abstract
Background: Increased demand for publicly prepared food with numerous food handlers creates uncertainties in the quality of safe foods and possible food contamination. This study aimed to ascertain the food safety hygiene practices, and associated factors among public food handlers in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria.
Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 400 public food handlers in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. Samples were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using percentage, mean and multiple regression. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05.
Results: The mean age of respondents were 31.16 ± 8.242 years. About two – thirds, 66.5% of respondents were found to have good knowledge of food hygiene safety practices. The overall food safety hygiene practice mean score was 80.10 ± 10.25 with 70.5% showing good practice. Environmental safety hygiene had good practice of 35.0% and a mean score of 24.17 ± 2.29. The factors which statistically significantly predicted overall food safety practices, F (11, 388) = 42.957, P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.536 were educational level (β = 0.148, C.I = 0.860 – 3.082), knowledge level (β = 8.594, C.I = 5.635 – 8.979) and safety training (β = 0.517, C.I = 4.102 – 5.474).
Conclusion: There were good safety hygiene practices except for the environmental safety hygiene practices component. Safety training, knowledge level and educational level were the predictors of good practices. Frequent training is most needed to prevent or control food contamination and consequent food-borne diseases.
References
2. WHO | World Health Organization. Food safety 2020. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety. Accessed 4/27/2022.
3. CDC | Center for Disease Control. Food safety. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html. Accessed 4/27/2022.
4. WHO |World Health Organization. Five keys to safer food manual. 2006. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241594639. Accessed 4/27/2022.
5. Wafukho BM, Rotich D. Cheloti IM. Personal and environmental hygiene measures on food safety compliance in selected public universities in Kenya. International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education. 2021 18;2(2):306-31.
6. Cusato S, Gameiro AH, Corassin CH, Sant'ana AS, Cruz AG, Faria Jde A, de Oliveira CA. Food safety systems in a small dairy factory: implementation, major challenges, and assessment of systems' performances. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2013;10(1):6-12. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2012.1286.
7. Zhong R, Xu X, Wang L. Food supply chain management: systems, implementations, and future research. Industrial Management & Data Systems. 2017 Oct 16;117(9):2085 – 2114.https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-09-2016-0391.
8. Smith LP, Ng SW, Popkin BM. Trends in US home food preparation and consumption: analysis of national nutrition surveys and time use studies from 1965-1966 to 2007-2008. Nutr J. 2013;12:45.. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-12-45.
9. NAFDAC | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control. NAFDAC Guidelines for Food Hygiene Practices, 2021. https://www.nafdac.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/Files/Resources/Guidelines/FOOD_GUIDELINES/Food-Hygiene-Guidelines.pdf. Accessed 4/28/2022.
10. Smith LP, Ng SW, Popkin BM. Trends in US home food preparation and consumption: analysis of national nutrition surveys and time use studies from 1965-1966 to 2007-2008. Nutr J. 2013;12:45. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-12-45.
11. Iro OK, Enebeli UU, Iloh GP, Azuama Y, Amadi AN, Amadi CO, Ezejindu C, Ingwu J, Ogamba SE. Food hygiene and safety management in Nigeria. Int J Res Sci Innov. 2020;7:101-9.
12. Okojie OH, Wagbatsoma VA, Ighoroge AD. An assessment of food hygiene among food handlers in a Nigerian university campus. Niger Postgrad Med J2005: 12:93‑6.
13. Isara AC, Isah EC. Knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety among food handlers in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State. Niger Postgrad Med J 2009;16:207‑12.
14. Dagne H, Raju RP, Andualem Z, Hagos T, Addis K. Food safety practice and its associated factors among mothers in Debarq town, northwest Ethiopia: community-based cross-sectional study. BioMed Research International. 2019 Jun 4; 2019:1 – 8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1549131.
15. Onyeaka H, Ekwebelem OC, Eze UA, Onwuka QI, Aleke J, Nwaiwu O, Chionuma JO. Improving Food Safety Culture in Nigeria: A Review of Practical Issues. Foods. 2021;10(8):1878. doi:10.3390/foods10081878.
16. Kassy WC, Uchegbu CK, Ango TJ. Symptoms associated with low threshold lead poisoning among roadside and organized panel beaters in Enugu Metropolis. Nigeria. Journal of Health and Pollution March 2021; 11(29): 1 – 9. https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-11.29.210303.
17. Enugu, Nigeria Metro Area Population 1950 – 2022 – Macrotrends. https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/21986/enugu/population. Accessed 2/5/2022.
18. Nigeria: States and Cities – Population statistics, Maps, Charts. https://www.citypopulation.de/Nigeria-Cities.html. Accessed 2/5/2022.
19. Arifin WN. Introduction to sample size calculation. Educ Med J. 2013;5(2): 1 – 8. doi:10.5959/eimj.v5i2.130.
20. Iwu AC, Uwakwe KA, Duru CB, Diwe KC, Chineke HN, Merenu IA, Oluoha UR, Madubueze UC, Ndukwu E, Ohale I. Knowledge, attitude and practices of food hygiene among food vendors in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine. 2017;5(01):11 – 25.https://doi.org/10.4236/odem.2017.51002.
21. Teffo LA, Tabi FT. An assessment of the food safety knowledge and attitudes of food handlers in hospitals. BMC Public Health 20, 311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8430-5.
22. Lema K, Abuhay N, Kindie W, Dagne H, Guadu T. Food hygiene practice and its determinants among food handlers at University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. International journal of general medicine. 2020 Nov;16(11):29-37.doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S262767.
23. da Vitória AG, de Souza Couto Oliveira J, de Almeida Pereira LC, de Faria CP, de São José JFB. Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers: A cross-sectional study in school kitchens in Espírito Santo, Brazil. BMC Public Health. 2021 Feb 12;21(1):349. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10282-1.
24. Azanaw J, Dagne H, Andualem Z, Adane T. Food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice of college students, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study. BioMed Research International. 2021 Jan 12;2021(1):6686392. htts://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6686392.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License 4.0. This licence allows users to download and share, remix, tweak and build upon the article for non-commercial purposes, so long as the original authorship is acknowledged and the new creations are licensed under identical terms.