STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING FOOD POISONING IN CATERING ESTABLISHMENTS IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL, IMO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study determined the strategies for preventing food poisoning in catering establishments in OwerriMunicipal, Imo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used to carry out the research. The populationfor the study was staff of the fast foods located in Owerri Municipal. Ten fast food centres were randomlyselected and 130 respondents served as the sample size. Questionnaire was used for data collection and theanalysis of standard deviation. The results showed that there is prevalence of food poisoning in most cateringcentres in Owerri Municipal (2.7). The results also showed that the various causes of food poisoning incatering establishments included poor hygiene practices, poor sanitary practices and food handling duringfood preparation, storage and processing (X3.5). On the appropriate measures to prevent food poisoningthe results showed that proper hand washing, washing of cooking utensils and personal hygiene wereamongst the important measures to prevent food poisoning. The study showed that utilizing these strategieswill go a long way to prevent food poisoning thus ensures food safety. Therefore, National Agency for FoodDrug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) should conduct seminars and workshops to educate the publicand the food handlers on food hygiene practices. The food handler employers should ensure strict adherenceto personal and food hygiene practices in their establishments.