Awareness regarding meat hygiene practices followed in Srinagar city of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract

The present study analyses the awareness regarding meat hygiene practices among consumers in the Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. For this study, all administrative wards (35) were covered as an extensive sampling pattern and from each selected administrative ward, 7 meat-consuming households were randomly selected for the study. Finally, from each household, one member was selected and interviewed on various identified parameters based on the objectives of the study, making a total of 245 respondents. Data were collected through well-structured interview schedule after proper testing of the schedule and using appropriate scales. The data were coded, classified, tabulated, and analyzed using the appropriate tools to draw inferences. The major findings of the study reveal that all the respondents consumed at least one type of meat (mutton/carabeef/poultry). A satisfying feature with consumption of meat was that majority of people adopt hygienic meat handling practices especially personal hygiene while only half of the households were aware of the facts about licensing and inspection of meat sold by retailers in the markets of Srinagar. Chilling turned out to be the most followed scientific meat storage practice with a comparatively higher level of awareness among the households.Further, the majority revealed that they throw spoiled meat in public dustbins while scientific methods (Burial, compost etc.) turned out to be the least adopted practices.There was a significant relationship (p<0.05) between awareness regarding meat hygiene practices with meat consuming households in Srinagar city. Moreover, it was seen that among the various socio-economic variables, family income, family size, and occupation were found to be influential on overall hygienic meat handling practices in Srinagar city, which in turn lays a strong emphasis on stakeholder dialogue for dissemination of relevant information on hygienic meat handling practices and abolishes the myths in its way for a healthier society at large.