Food Safety-Related Aspects of Parasites in Foods.

Introduction Food safety assurance is motivated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation stating: “food safety encompasses ensuring safe food handling, and preparation when consumed according to its intended use” (FAO 1997). The importance of food safety management arises when consumers demonstrate concern and distrust that restaurants can produce safe food when compared to other industry stakeholders. Foodservice managers must promote food hygiene training aligned with safe food handling activities for the staff. The Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act of 1972 directs the following for persons responsible on food premises: They are suitably qualified or otherwise adequately trained in the principles and practices of food safety and hygiene. Any other persons working on the food premises are suitably qualified or adequately trained in the principles and practices of food safety and hygiene. It’s a priority for foodservice managers to prevent the risk of reputation for their operations, to prevent legal action and closure due to employees’ poor food handling practices. Therefore, what roles do managers play in assuring that their employees follow safe food handling practices, and what would make managers effective in implementing safe food handling plans? Problem Training alone is an insufficient strategy to improve safe food handling among foodservice employees. Managers reported experiences that hindered the effectiveness of their roles. Managers must, however, cultivate environments where they may observe deviations in food safety and be able to efficiently address them. Aim The study aimed to consult with managers at quick-service restaurants (QSR) to decipher the scope of implementation efforts for safe food handling in averting the risk of foodborne illnesses. Methods A cross-sectional, qualitative research design employed purposive sampling to engage with the managers in the QSRs. The measuring instrument was guided by the review of literature for inquiry, and aligned with general food safety concepts. A semi-formal interview schedule with open-ended questions was used. Field workers approached QSRs for data collection and made relevant general observations where possible. Analysis Foodservice managers' (n = 35) responses were transcribed. Thematic analysis was used, and data was reduced into key themes and reviewed to verify themes arising from participant responses. Findings and discussion Personal hygiene and staff behaviour QSR managers used diverse but complementary approaches to enforce and maintain the staff’s behaviour related to their hygiene practices and hygiene-related behaviour. Policy included instructions not to come to work in the event of experiencing illness. Other measures included the correct wearing of PPE. QSRs were dedicated to daily deep cleaning of production and storage areas, and cleaning while working. Managers reported that employees were prompted to wash their hands in five-minute intervals. Temperature control of food The QSR managers were asked to describe inventory policies to gauge temperature monitoring procedures. Management indicated awareness, however they did not provide evidence of this. Only two of the thirty-five managers kept records of their storage facilities. Cross-contamination/pathogen presence Managers reported enforcing the requirement of the separation of workspaces and colour-coded equipment when handling food. The staff were not allowed to use the store's facilities to warm up their own food as a measure to avoid cross-contamination. Raw materials/ingredients Uniquely, visual cues were an easy go-to for evaluating ingredients. Any incoming raw materials would be examined upon delivery and returned if they were deemed to be of inferior quality (e.g. dented cans or mould on bread). Staff discarded spoilt raw materials or items that were past the expiry dates. Conclusions, recommendations, and contributions Food safety practices and protocols were largely executed by staff, and guided by the QSR managers. The acceptance and comprehension of the importance of food safety throughout QSR requires structured cultural adoption in training, monitoring, and support from management. Knowledge and skills transferring between staff members become essential in the absence of managerial presence. Managerial absence, lacking supporting structures, and cultural adoption towards food safety compromises the required scope for implementation of safe food handling and safety protocols to avert the risks of foodborne illnesses. Instilling a safety culture through continued education, awareness campaigns, development of training programs and support mechanisms can aid managers' implementation of consistent food handling practices.

Food safety has become a huge concern among health authorities in Malaysia due to the serious impact of foods being mishandled during preparation, processing, or storage, especially in food service environments. Therefore, this study was conducted to study knowledge and practices of safe food handling among Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) cafeteria food handlers. In this study, the questionnaires were modified from the previous study and distributed to fifty-five respondents who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The result was analysed and computed by using IBM SPSS version 21.0. This study found the average mean scores for all twenty items of knowledge towards safe food handling among food handlers involved in this study was 17.89±2.96. This indicates the majority of 87.3% (n = 48) respondents had ‘good’ knowledge while 7.3% (n = 4) respondents had ‘fair’ knowledge and another 5.5% (n = 3) had ‘poor’ knowledge score towards safe food handling. Besides, the majority of respondents had ‘good’ practices while none of the respondents had ‘poor’ and ‘fair’ score levels towards practices of safe food handling. The average mean score of practices toward safe food handling among food handlers involved in this study was 25.16±1.32. The results showed a positive correlation between the safe food handling knowledge and practices of UniSZA cafeteria’s food handler (p-value = 0.013). In conclusion, according to the score levels of safe food handling knowledge among food handlers of UniSZA cafeteria, the result revealed that the majority of the food handlers had a good level of knowledge and practices towards safe food handling. Good knowledge and the right practice among food handlers in their working premises would help to ensure that more harm to food can be avoided.

Food safety risk during the pandemic

Introduction: Food borne diseases are one of the major health problems in developing and developed countries. Safe food handling at the household level is much acknowledged and an understanding of the interaction on prevailing safe food handling knowledge, beliefs and practices in order to minimize food borne outbreaks required. Aim of work: to 1- To determine level and sources of Knowledge of female teachers regarding safe food handling. 2- To assess their Attitude and Practice regarding safe food handling. 3- To evaluate the effectiveness of a health education program on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of safe food handling among participants. Materials and methods: An intervention study was carried out from November 2015 to October 2016 among forty two (42) secondary school female teachers in Zagazig, Egypt. A pre-test was performed to determine level of KAP of safe food handling among participants through a face-to-face interview. Health education program was implemented to educate the participants in order to improve their KAP regarding safe food handling. Three months later a post-test questionnaire identical to the pre-test was done. Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.2±9.7, more than half of them were married (55.4%) and about one third of them acquired their safe food handling knowledge from the mass media. About two thirds (64.3%) of their house hold personnel suffered from self-limited gastroenteritis during the last three months. There was a highly significant improvement in Knowledge after intervention (p 0.05). The total KAP level was significantly improved (p<0.05). Conclusion: the majority of respondents had unsatisfactory level of total KAP about safe food handling, both Knowledge and Attitude significantly improved after intervention. Items of purchasing and storage, safe food cooking were the most improved items in Knowledge and Attitude respectively. However, there was no effect of intervention on Practice level.

The growing street food sector in low-income countries offers easy access to inexpensive food as well as new job opportunities for urban residents. While this development is positive in many ways, it also presents new public health challenges for the urban population. Safe food hygiene is difficult to practice at street level, and outbreaks of diarrheal diseases have been linked to street food. This study investigates local perceptions of food safety among street food vendors and their consumers in Kumasi, Ghana in order to identify the most important aspects to be included in future public health interventions concerning street food safety. This qualitative study includes data from a triangulation of various qualitative methods. Observations at several markets and street food vending sites in Kumasi were performed. Fourteen street food vendors were chosen for in-depth studies, and extensive participant observations and several interviews were carried out with case vendors. In addition, street interviews and Focus Group Discussions were carried out with street food customers. The study found that although vendors and consumers demonstrated basic knowledge of food safety, the criteria did not emphasize basic hygiene practices such as hand washing, cleaning of utensils, washing of raw vegetables, and quality of ingredients. Instead, four main food selection criteria could be identified and were related to (1) aesthetic appearance of food and food stand, (2) appearance of the food vendor, (3) interpersonal trust in the vendor, and (4) consumers often chose to prioritize price and accessibility of food--not putting much stress on food safety. Hence, consumers relied on risk avoidance strategies by assessing neatness, appearance, and trustworthiness of vendor. Vendors were also found to emphasize appearance while vending and to ignore core food safety practices while preparing food. These findings are discussed in this paper using social and anthropological theoretical concepts such as 'purity', 'contamination', 'hygiene puzzles', and 'impression behaviors' from Douglas, Van Der Geest, and Goffman. The findings indicate that educating vendors in safe food handling is evidently insufficient. Future public health interventions within the street food sector should give emphasis to the importance of appearance and neatness when designing communication strategies. Neglected aspects of food safety, such as good hand hygiene and cleanliness of kitchen facilities, should be emphasized. Local vendor networks can be an effective point of entry for future food hygiene promotion initiatives.

Street food vending is a very popular and unique part of the informal sector, particularly in developing countries. However, the safety of street vended foods is a major public health concern since poor food safety and hygiene knowledge and practices are often reported among street food vendors (SFVs). The objective of this study was to identify the factors influencing food safety, hygiene awareness and practices (FSHAP) among SFVs in Kiambu County, Kenya. Structured questionnaires and an observation checklist were administered to randomly selected 345 SFVs. Results showed that good food safety and hygiene awareness scores were significantly (P&lt;0.05) influenced by education level, food hygiene and safety training, mobility of SFVs, public health inspection, and the category of SFVs. Public health inspection was the only factor that significantly (P&lt;0.05) influenced all FSHAP score categories. Mobile vendors were 1.86 and 2.20 times more likely to have poor working conditions and poor food handling practices scores compared to those who were not mobile, respectively. Training and education level significantly (P&lt;0.01 and P &lt;0.05, respectively) increased food safety and hygiene awareness score whereas the duration of time in street food vending significantly (P&lt;0.05) improved food handling practice score. Public health inspection of SFVs was found to be the most effective way of improving FSHAP among SFVs. The study recommends regular inspections of SFVs by public health officials to enhance compliance with food hygiene and safety standards and regulations governing the street food sector as well as scheduled training on food safety and hygiene targeting all categories of street food vendors.

Developing tailored and effective food safety education for young adults is critical given their future roles as caregivers likely to be preparing food for populations who may be at greater risk for foodborne disease (FBD). The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between food safety self-reported food-handling behaviors and cognitions of young adults to observed food-handling behaviors. Participants were 153 young adults (mean age 20.74+/-1.30 s.d.) attending a major American university. Each prepared a meal under observation in a controlled laboratory setting, permitted researchers to observe their home kitchen and completed an online survey assessing food safety knowledge, behavior and psychosocial measures. Descriptive statistics were generated for participants' self-reported food-handling behaviors, psychosocial characteristics, knowledge, food preparation observations and home kitchen observations. Determinants of compliance with safe food-handling procedures while preparing a meal and home food storage/rotation practices were identified using backward regression models. Participants engaged in less than half of the recommended safe food-handling practices evaluated and correctly answered only two-thirds of the food safety knowledge items. They reported positive food safety beliefs and high food safety self-efficacy. Self-reported compliance with cross-contamination prevention, disinfection procedures and knowledge of groups at greatest risk for FBD were the best measures for predicting compliance with established safe food-handling practices. Food safety education directed toward young adults should focus on increasing awareness of FBD and knowledge of proper cross-contamination prevention procedures to help promote better compliance with actual safe food handling.

BackgroundFood safety has long been the subject of scholarly research, and street food is a weak link in food safety supervision. Street food not only provides convenience for many people, but is also the livelihood for millions of low income people, making a great contribution to the economy of many developing countries.MethodsStreet food safety is essential, and yet it has been rarely studied in China. Therefore, a typical city in China was selected as the research object to assess food safety knowledge, attitudes, and street food suppliers and consumer behaviors using questionnaires based on previous studies, and considering China’s particular characteristics and reasonable impacts identified in previous studies, such as increased income, work experience, licenses, and locations. The food safety knowledge and attitude questionnaire conformed with the national conditions in China. It was used to assess the food safety knowledge and attitudes toward food suppliers and consumers, where three main areas were addressed in the surveys and statistical analysis, as follows. (1) Statistical information including gender, age, education, income, food safety training, and specific elements related to the work experience of suppliers. (2) Knowledge of food safety including the awareness of consumers and suppliers regarding food poisoning pathogens, food and personal hygiene, high-risk groups, and correct cleaning. (3) A list of food handling behaviors was used to determine the behaviors and characteristics of subjects.ResultsThe results show that street food suppliers have generally poor food handling practices, and most are operating under unsanitary conditions. Food safety knowledge of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, most likely because these regions are located in rural-urban fringe zones, where education levels are generally relatively low. Food safety attitudes of the youngest consumers were significantly better than those of older age groups. Their educational level was also different, with correspondingly relatively high income for younger individuals. Most vendors chose locations near schools or supermarkets. Consumers and street food vendors had good understanding of food safety, but street vendors were relatively poor in carrying out safe food handling, with only 26.7% using or being fully equipped withhand-washing facilities, although more than 60% of vendors wore clean and tidy clothes and masks.ConclusionsStreet food vendor training should be prioritized to improve the safety of street food. Other policies and measures should also be propagated to improve the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of vendors in Handan. Steps should be taken to improve street food stall operating conditions and facilities, including providing clean protected structures, access to potable water, and efficient waste collection and disposal systems. These findings should encourage government agencies to further promote strategies to improve street food safety.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess food handlers’ knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices towards safer donated foods.DesignThis cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2021.SettingThis study was conducted in the...

Foodborne illness has a substantial health and economic burden on society, and most cases are believed to be due to unsafe food handling practices at home. Several qualitative research studies have been conducted to investigate consumers’ perspectives, opinions, and experiences with safe food handling at home, and these studies provide insights into the underlying barriers and facilitators affecting their safe food handling behaviours. We conducted a systematic review of previously published qualitative studies in this area to synthesize the main across-study themes and to develop recommendations for future consumer interventions and research. The review was conducted using the following steps: comprehensive search strategy; relevance screening of abstracts; relevance confirmation of articles; study quality assessment; thematic synthesis of the results; and quality-of-evidence assessment. A total of 39 relevant articles reporting on 37 unique qualitative studies were identified. Twenty-one barriers and 10 facilitators to safe food handling were identified, grouped across six descriptive themes: confidence and perceived risk; knowledge-behaviour gap; habits and heuristics; practical and lifestyle constraints; food preferences; and societal and social influences. Our overall confidence that each barrier and facilitator represents the phenomenon of interest was rated as high (n = 11), moderate (11), and low (9). Overarching analytical themes included: 1) safe food handling behaviours occur as part of a complex interaction of everyday consumer practices and habituation; 2) most consumers are not concerned about food safety and are generally not motivated to change their behaviours based on new knowledge about food safety risks; and 3) consumers are amenable to changing their safe food handling habits through relevant social pressures. Key implications and recommendations for research, policy and practice are discussed.

Background: While compliance with food safety and hygiene practices has been addressed by different stakeholders, scarce data exist on the effectiveness of training on food hygiene and safety among food handlers in boarding schools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of food hygiene and safety training on compliance with food hygiene and safety practices among food handlers in boarding schools in Embu County, Kenya. Results: The overall compliance increased from 74% to 84% in the intervention arm compared to the control. This is a change of 12% that could be attributed to the intervention, p&lt;0.001. Results showed that compliance with personal hygiene measures increased from 70% to 76% in the intervention arm which is a DID change of 6%, p=0.029. Compliance with food safety measures as far as premises are concerned increased from 72% to 89% in the intervention arm which is a DID change of 18%, p=&lt;0.001. Compliance with environmental food safety measures increased from 81% to 85% in the intervention arm which is a DID change of 9%, p&lt;0.001 Conclusion: Food hygiene and safety training intervention on compliance with food hygiene and safety practices was effective on various aspects of food hygiene measures assessed.

Safe food handling and proper hygiene practices performed by food handlers (FHs) in catering establishments are fundamental elements in reducing foodborne diseases. This study aimed at assessing food safety knowledge and compliance of hygiene practices of FHs within food establishments (using a structured questionnaire). A cross-sectional study was carried out from May 2016 to March 2018 on FHs working in community and healthcare settings. A total of 405 FHs, including 44.9% and 55.1%, were working in community and healthcare settings, respectively. The majority, 84.7%, were males with a ratio of 5.5:1. Most of them, 84.4%, had a high school education and above. A greater number, 44%, of FHs were in the age bracket of 29–39 years. As high as 95.6% of them underwent a regular medical check-up. Unsafe attitudes were shown by 44.9%% who used the same hand gloves while handling raw meat and fresh food. Additionally, 42% went home with their uniforms. The hygiene assessment score was 95.8%. In general, FHs have adequate knowledge and compliance with food safety practices. It is recommended that regular and ongoing training on hygienic practices and proper food safety techniques must be given to all FHs to ensure food safety.

Introduction: The public health concern over food safety and complications accompanying improper food safety practices continue to persist globally. Approximately 600 million individuals worldwide experience food hygiene-related illness with an additional 420,000 dying from food hygiene-related complications each year. In Nigeria, over 200,000 deaths occur from foodborne illness annually and the problem is further exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, poor regulations, and limited awareness of food safety and hygiene practices among food handlers and consumers. Thus, this study is designed to determine the effect of food safety and hygiene training programme on the knowledge and practices of food handlers in restaurants and canteens in Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Nigeria. The Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model will be used for this study. Method: A quasi-experimental design (with pre-and post-test assessment) will be adopted for this study. The study population will consist of all food handlers operating in restaurants and canteens in the study area with at least six months of work experience who give consent to participate. The estimated sample size will be 74 each for the control and intervention groups. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval will be sought from the Cross River State Ministry of Health Research Ethics Committee. The intervention strategy will be a clustered nutrition education programme with focus on food hygiene and safety practices, directed at food handlers in restaurants and canteens in the intervention group. The proposed instrument for data collection will be questionnaire and observational checklist. The knowledge level and food safety practices of the participants before and after the training will be recorded. The limitation of the study could be the potential for bias in self-reported data from food handlers regarding their knowledge and practices towards food safety. Strengths and limitations of this study: This study will find immense significance in that: Assessing the food handlers’ adherence to food safety practices following a training intervention can help build consumer trust and confidence in the safety and quality of the food served. Provide insights into compliance levels and inform regulatory interventions to ensure adherence to standards aimed at enhancing food safety knowledge and practices among food handlers. One limitation of the study could be the potential for bias in self-reported data from food handlers regarding their knowledge and practices towards food safety. There may be a tendency for respondents to provide socially desirable answers or to overestimate their level of knowledge and adherence to food safety practices. To address this limitation, the researcher has employed multiple methods of data collection, such as direct observation of food handling practices in addition to self-report surveys. Direct observation would provide objective data on actual behaviours, allowing for a more accurate assessment of food safety practices. Additionally, validated instruments and anonymous surveys to encourage honest responses from participants would be used.

Use of safe food handling practices in the home could reduce the number of foodborne illnesses. The objective of this project was to obtain baseline data on the safe food handling knowledge and practices of consumers to aid in the development of effective educational programmes. A food handling questionnaire was developed and completed by 426 Nebraskan respondents. Knowledge and practice questions were based on the most important contributory factors in reported foodborne illness outbreaks. Knowledge scores (correct responses) ranged from 2 to 29 with a mean of 20 ± 4. When compared with the knowledge score, the respondents' education level, where they lived and their sex were statistically significant. Almost all (96%) of the respondents stated that they practised safe food handling when persons were infected. Approximately half of the respondents indicated that they practised safe food handling when handling contaminated raw foods and using foods from unsafe sources. About 45% of the respondents inappropriately left foods at room temperature. One‐third of the survey respondents improperly held hot foods. Cross‐contamination was a concept understood by 75% of the respondents. Results indicate that food safety education should be targeted on specific groups who are less knowledgeable about safe food handling practices. Results also indicate that a number of respondents knew proper food handling concepts but did not put those concepts into practice. Therefore, increasing the adoption of safe food handling practices by consumers should become an important aspect for educators in food safety educational programmes.

Food Handlers’ Attitude towards Safe Food Handling in School Canteens