Food Safety Attitudes Research Articles

Determinants of food safety behaviour among food vendors: the case of Nigeria

PurposeTo investigate the relationship between food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes, the accessibility of sanitation facilities, perceived economic and social constraints and food safety practices among food vendors of higher institutions of learning in Bauchi State, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA purposive sampling method was used to select 6 out of 13 public higher institutions of learning in the state and a random sampling method was used in selecting 181 food vendors from the list of 342 food vendors in the 6 institutions. Face-to-face survey interviews were carried out between June–September 2018 completing a structured questionnaire.FindingsThe result of the structural equation model revealed that food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes and economic and social control affected the food safety behaviour of the food vendors. Inaccessibility to sanitation facilities affected food safety behaviour negatively.Practical implicationsAppropriate measures to improve the food safety behaviour of food vendors in higher institutions of learning could include, for example, food safety training that could increase food safety knowledge and awareness, as well as improved access to sanitation facilities at vending sites.Originality/valueThere is no previous study that investigates the relationship between food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes, social and economic constraints, access to sanitation facilities and the food safety behaviour of food vendors in higher educational institutions in Nigeria.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, practices and training of fast-food restaurant food handlers: a moderation analysis

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.

Food safety at home: Serbian students

PurposeStrengthening awareness and education to address food safety problem is of importance. The purpose of this study is to investigate food safety knowledge and opinion among Serbian students and the efficiency of education on their self-reported behaviour as consumers.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire on the attitudes and self-reported behaviour of students was completed by 414 students at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The questions covered hand hygiene; cross-contamination; conditions of food cooling; and knowledge of risky food. Students were divided into two groups: students in their first and second year of study (1–2 YoS) who had not attended any subjects related to food safety during their education; students in the third and fourth years of the Food Technology Program (3–4 YoS) who had completed one or more courses concerning food safety during their education.FindingsOverall, there were significant differences in the opinions of 1–2 YoS students and 3–4 YoS students on most issues. It was noted that male students are at higher risk when it comes to food handling. Considering the significant impact of education as evidenced by the opinions of 3–4 YoS students, it can be concluded that education is effective in raising awareness and changing behaviour among young people.Originality/valueThe study identified how education affects students' opinion and food handling. Moreover, it highlighted the areas of deficiency in students' food safety behaviour, knowledge and attitudes. Limited research has been conducted on food safety knowledge among students.

Predictors of knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards food safety among food handlers in Bangkok, Thailand

Considering the growing restaurant business in Bangkok, and the lack of information regarding restaurant-related foodborne diseases this study aimed to examine the food handler demographics, work-related characteristics, and employee satisfaction; and to identify the predictors of knowledge, attitudes, and practices on food safety among food handlers of various nationalities in Bangkok, Thailand. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 718 food handlers using a face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire. Food handlers were mostly male (n = 415), from Myanmar (n = 323), with primary education (n = 238) and mean age of 28 ± 7.87 years. Almost half of them had work experience less than 2 years, and 85.38% had never received any food safety training. Most of them were satisfied with their current work including workplace environment. In this study, food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices were found to be moderate. The results revealed that work experience, a higher level of education, and employee satisfaction were predictors for the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food safety among the food handlers included in this study. Food safety training was found to be a significant factor only for food safety practices. These findings emphasize the need for providing food safety training to food handlers, especially those with less work experience. This training should also attempt to the improving social aspects and workplace environment.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers: A cross-sectional study in school kitchens in Esp\xedrito Santo, Brazil

BackgroundThe adoption and evaluation of good practices in food handling in food service are essential to minimizing foodborne diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food handlers in schools in Vitória, Brazil.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out in the school food services of the municipal network of Vitória-ES. The sample of food handlers was obtained by convenience and comprised food handlers involved with preparation and other kitchen-related activities. The instrument consisted of a structured questionnaire with 36 six questions that included sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to good practices and food safety. The questionnaire was answered by 172 food handlers. Pearson correlation test, T-test, Tukey’s test and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS v.20 software.ResultsMost of the participants were female (96.5%, n = 166), were 40 to 49 years old (44.8%, n = 78), attended high school (57.9%, n = 99), had up to 5 years of experience in the role (39.5%, n = 68). Some of them had participated at least 4 times in training (74.4%, n = 128) of which the most recent session had occurred within 3 months (52.0%, n = 44). The lowest score was obtained for knowledge (7.1 ± 1.22). All the models presented significant results for the F-test. This result show good model fit and results ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 on the Durbin Watson test of residual autocorrelation. The linear regression analysis allowed us to identify that the knowledge score increased with experience, but it was significant only for those who had spent up to 10 years in the role. The knowledge score was associated with experience and training time. Attitudes were significantly related to the schooling and training time. The increase in the classification of practices is shown only through a classification of attitudes.ConclusionsAlthough the food handlers’ knowledge level in general was considered as sufficient, it was inferior to their scores for attitudes and practices regarding certain food safety concepts. Food safety training is ongoing in these units and covers the main aspects that favour the transformation of knowledge into appropriate attitudes and practices.

Food safety and evaluation of intention to practice safe eating out measures during COVID-19: Cross sectional study in Indonesia and Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered consumers' relationship with food, whether through shopping, increased home cooking, taking pre-cautionary measures during food shopping, food delivery and whilst dining out. This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on consumers' food safety knowledge, attitude and practices and to identify the predictors of food safety practices during COVID-19. An online survey was conducted and received valid responses from 987 respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, Spearman's rho correlation and multiple regression. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model was used to investigate the intention to practice safe eating out measures during COVID-19. The mean food safety knowledge score was 6.37 ± 1.37 (9.00 = highest score) of which 91.3% of total respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia scored ≥5 points. Consumers also demonstrated positive food safety attitude (4.06 ± 0.99) and reported high frequencies in conducting food safety practices (4.03 ± 0.82) during COVID-19. The TPB has provided valuable framework for understanding consumers' intention to practice safe eating out measures during COVID-19. The multiple regression model explained 63% and 73% of the variance in adherence to safe eating out practices in Indonesia and Malaysia and (p < 0.05) respectively. All the TPB antecedents i.e. attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were identified as significant predictors on consumers' eating out practices. This suggests that consumers with positive food safety attitude and strong family norms were more likely to adhere to safe eating out measures (e.g. selection of clean and less crowded restaurants, practicing hand hygiene, wearing masks and practising social distancing). The findings also suggest that to fully adhere to the safe practices, it is important to have sufficient support from restaurant staff to ensure social distancing and to provide adequate handwashing facilities. This is the first study to provide new empirical findings on consumers' intention to practice safe eating out measures during COVID-19.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of College Students, Ethiopia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Since the dawn of human history, foodborne diseases have been a problem for all societies, and it is an increasing public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine knowledge, practice, and attitude in food safety among college students in the city Gondar, northwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 430 randomly selected college students in Gondar City, northwest Ethiopia, from October 8 to November 30, 2019. The data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were checked for completeness, coded manually, and entered into Epi Info version 7, then exported to SPSS version 26 for more data checking, cleaning, and analysis. One-way ANOVA was done for examining sociodemographic variable association with KAP, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to measure the association among food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. The p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for both tests. Results The number of females was higher among the study participants (65.5%). The mean age of participates was 21.1 ± 9.14 (SD) years. The higher percentage (45.7%) of the participants were students in the second year. The overall scores of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices of the respondents were 35.7% (good), 38.0% (good), and 29.1% (positive), respectively. Participants with differences in gender, year of study, and food safety training had a substantial variation in overall food safety knowledge (p value < 0.05). The findings have clearly shown that knowledge of food safety does not directly affect the attitude towards food safety (p value > 0.05). On the other hand, overall food safety practice differed in terms of sex, year of schooling, and knowledge of food safety (p value < 0.05) among participants. Training and knowledge score had significant correlation among respondents (p value < 0.05). Conclusion This study revealed that the overall knowledge, practices, and attitude towards food safety among college students were very low. There was a significant association between knowledge and practice while food safety practices were independent with an attitude among the students. Such results indicated that there could be problems with foodborne diseases. Therefore, the findings of this study proposed that strength should be done to improve the existing food safety knowledge, practice, and attitude in college students in addition to their normal education.

Food Safety Attitude and Associated Factors Among Mothers of Under 5 Children, Debarq Town: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study, 2019.

Background:Food-borne diseases represent a widespread and growing public health problem, both in developed and developing countries. However, this problem has more impact on health and economy in developing countries than in developed countries but reliable data is not available.Methods:A cross-sectional study was done in 2019 at Debarq town, Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia. A questionnaire prepared in English after adapted from previous studies then translated in to local language Amharic was used in order to collect the data. Data were checked manually for completeness, coded, and entered in to Epi Info version 7.1 and then exported in to SPSS version 26 statistical package for analyze. Descriptive statistics, percentage, frequency, standard deviation, and mean were analyzed. Likewise, bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis were done to know the relationship between the independent variables and attitude of food safety among mothers. The variables found having a P-value <.2 in the bivariable analysis were further analyzed in multivariable binary logistic regression. The variables with P-value <.05 were considered as significantly associated with food safety attitude of mothers.Results:About 423 mothers of under-5 children were involved in this study. The mean age of the participants was 39.844 ± 11.02. In this study, educational status (primary education (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.66; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] [1.42-4.97]), secondary education (AOR: 2.66; 95% CI [3.35-14.05]), and diploma and above (AOR: 4.07; 95% CI [1.65-10.06])), higher income (AOR: 3.58; 95% CI [1.54-8.29]), good food safety knowledge (AOR: 3.08; 95% CI [1.51-6.242]) and good food hygiene practice (AOR: 3.97; 95% CI [2.33-6.75]) were factors associated with food safety attitude in the current study.Conclusion:Significant proportion of participants in the study area had poor food safety attitude. Educational status, income, food safety knowledge, and food safety practice were significantly associated with food safety attitude among mothers. Food hygiene practice, knowledge, and level of education should be increased in order to improve food safety attitudes among mothers who were responsible in food processing at household level.

Consumers’ Perspective for the Betterment of Street Food and Women Food Vendors in Kolkata

Like all other city of India, street foods are widely used in Kolkata. Without any formal establishment street food mainly comprises unorganized food vending where cooked food may be served. Street foods are easily available and affordable to consumers, so it is highly popular to all age group specially in urban area. The objective of the study was to assess the socio-economic status, food safety knowledge and attitude among street food consumers. To find out the status of street food consumers and their perspective for the betterment of street food and women food vendor a questionnaire was given to 65 consumers. The data found that 27.7% consumers take street food daily basis, 35.4% choose women vendor for neat and clean stall. Among all street food stable foods (like rice, roti) are most popular. 56.9% people take street food for easy availability. 21.5% consumers had no idea about food borne illness. There are large number of women street food vendors are selling cooked food in Kolkata. There are also many consumer depends on street foods only. However they all want betterment of street food, betterment of women food vendor and they suggest social security, good infrastructure, and training programme for vendor. To satisfy consumer demand for street foods change in existing perception and government supervision is necessary.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of University Students, KPK Pakistan, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of University Students, KPK Pakistan, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study

Food Safety Awareness, Attitude and Practices of Food Handlers in Selected Level 3 Hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines

The role of food handlers is essential in the prevention of foodborne diseases. Compliance to food safety standards among food handlers have been noted to be influenced by one's level of awareness, attitude, and practices regarding food safety. The study utilized a cross-sectional analytical design, which aimed to determine the awareness, attitude, and practice levels of 50 food handlers on food safety among four Level 3 hospitals in the Philippines, and to investigate the relationship of awareness, attitude, and practices to Sociodemographic characteristics and culture using a self-administered questionnaire, the results of which were validated by direct observation of food safety practices. Results showed that food handlers had fair awareness (69.73 ± 11.3%), positive attitude (87.8 ± 7.6%), and good practices (84.3±7.8%) on food safety. Direct observation revealed that food handlers had poor practices on hand washing and glove usage, which were in contrast with the reported practices, indicating an over-estimation in the frequency of practices among food handlers. No significant association was found among Sociodemographic characteristics, awareness, attitude, and practices. Food safety culture was found to possibly be associated to attitude and practices (χ2=33.879 and χ2=11.828 p<0.05, respectively). A moderate positive correlation was observed between attitude and practices (ρ=0.4431, p=0.0013). Improvement of food service quality through proper and constant teaching, training, and evaluation of food handlers were highlighted in the current study. The strict compliance to food safety standards should be of utmost importance to food handlers in order to ensure the safety and quality of food served to people.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Street Food Vendors and Consumers in Dhaka City

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and street food suppliers and consumer behaviors of the capital city Dhaka were investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires based on previous studies. Three main areas addressed in the surveys and statistical analysis are; 1) statistical data including gender, age, education, income, food safety training, and specific elements related to the work experience of suppliers, 2) knowledge of food safety such as the awareness of consumers and suppliers concerning pathogenic microbes that cause food poisoning, food and personal hygiene, proper cleaning procedures and high-risk groups, and 3) list of food handling attitude and behavior of subjects. Results showed food safety knowledge of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, where education levels are generally relatively low. Food safety attitudes of the youngest consumers were significantly better than those of older age groups. Street vendors were relatively poor in carrying out safe food handling, with only 27.6% using or being fully equipped with hand-washing facilities, although more than 50% of vendors were not wearing clean and tidy clothes and masks. Steps should be taken to improve street food stall operating conditions and facilities, including access of potable water, providing clean protected structures, and efficient waste collection and disposal systems that can promote the plans and strategies to improve street food safety of Dhaka city and Bangladesh as a whole.&#x0D; Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 37 Number 2 December 2020, pp 48-51

Is there need to augment the food safety knowledge, safe handling practices and purchasing behaviour among medical students

Introduction: Ascertaining food safety knowledge, attitude and practice of students have high importance because this eventually will lead to more food-conscious society and more healthy people. Only a handful of studies have been done to evaluate food safety practices among medical students. Aim and Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude and practices regarding food safety practices among medical students.2 To impart health education regarding correct food safety practices to the medical students. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 students were covered after verbal consent. Information was collected on a pre-tested and pre-designed questionnaire on knowledge, safe handling and purchasing practices pertaining to safe food handling. Results: Majority (59%) had good knowledge on food safety practices, greater number had poor purchasing power behaviour and none scored good son safe handling practices score. Conclusion: The target study highlighted that students with good knowledge scores was only 40 percent, majority [77 percent] had poor purchasing power scores whereas none of the students had good safe handling techniques knowledge. Keywords: Food safety, Knowledge, Medical students.

Food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice among elementary schoolchildren in southern Taiwan

In Taiwan, food safety courses are taught to Grade 6 schoolchildren at elementary school. However, no report discussed the relationship and these changes among knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning food safety in Taiwan before. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association of food safety education with a combination of knowledge, attitude, and practice, the mediating effect of attitude in the relationship between knowledge and practice, and the moderating effect of location of school and chief buyer of household foods in the model. A validated questionnaire was administered to Grade 5 and 6 schoolchildren of 25 elementary schools in the Yunlin County, Taiwan. Of 822 questionnaires, 772 (94%) were completed without missing values or invalid answers. There were 405 (52.5%) and 367 (47.5%) schoolchildren in Grade 5 and 6, respectively. The results showed that grade was significantly associated with a combination of knowledge, attitude, and practice (Wilks’ λ = 0.958, p < 0.001), and grade was significantly positively associated with knowledge (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and attitude (β = 0.12, p = 0.014) but not with practice (β = 0.05, p = 0.288). Additionally, knowledge not only directly affected practice (70.9%, p < 0.001) but also indirectly influenced practice via attitude (29.1%, p < 0.001). When schoolchildren studied in urban areas, the relationship between knowledge and attitude could be strengthened with a simple slope of 1.60 (SE = 0.15, p < 0.001). When a chief buyer of household foods was one of father and mother, the association between knowledge and practice could be strengthened with simple slopes of 1.31 (SE = 0.33, p < 0.001) and 0.60 (SE = 0.15, p < 0.001), respectively. In conclusion, it suggested that food safety education in the sixth grade could give the schoolchildren more knowledge, and attitude was a mediator of knowledge to practice regarding food safety. On top of that, location of school moderated the association between knowledge and attitude while chief buyer of household foods moderated the relationship between knowledge and practice.

Hubungan Antara Tingkat Pendidikan dan Pendapatan Karyawan dengan Pengetahuan dan Sikap Keamanan Pangannya pada Tempat Makan di DKI Jakarta

Food safety is an important aspect of consumption behavior, especially for employees in the office. Lack of food safety knowledge and awareness can endanger the health and reduce the productivity of employee. This study aims to describe the level of food safety knowledge and attitudes of employees at food stalls as well as their preferences for lunch at office environment, determine the effectiveness of information media as a source of food safety information and also the role of the government in food safety education and food safety supervision at food stalls. This study used an online questionnaire with 405 respondents who work in the DKI Jakarta. The data collected were analyzed statistically using the SPSS program. The results showed that the characteristics of the employees, such as education level and nett income level, had an effect on the food safety knowledge level and food safety attitudes at the food stalls. Most of employees (87,7%) have a good level of food safety knowledge and 67,7% of employees also have a good level of food safety attitude at food stalls. The results of the Spearman correlation test showed that the level of food safety knowledge and attitude at food stalls was correlated with the level of education and nett income. Most of the employees (37,8%) choose the canteen as a place to eat in the office and some choose food stalls (16,0%) and restaurants (10,1%). Information media considered effective enough for spreading the information of food safety according to employees was social media.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: attitudes, consumption behaviour, employees, food safety, knowledge

Linking Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, Food Safety and Health Risk Attitudes and Happiness in Thailand: Evidence from a Population-based Survey

ABSTRACT The purpose of this nationally-representative cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of fruit and vegetable consumption and food safety and health risk attitudes with happiness among Thai people. The study employed a multi-stage sampling design. A total of 6,955 Thai residents age 15 years or older from four geographic regions and Bangkok in Thailand participated in the study. Information on self-reported happiness, daily fruit, and vegetable consumption, sociodemographic characteristics, and risk attitudes were collected via survey questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was used in investigating the association between risk attitudes, fruit and vegetable consumption, and happiness, adjusting for the covariates sequentially. Risk attitudes and sufficient fruit and vegetable intake were found to be significantly associated with happiness. The positive association between risk attitudes toward health safety, food safety, and happiness were found to be statistically significant. People who had sufficient fruit and vegetable intake had a 0.187 higher happiness score than those who had insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. These findings could be used by policymakers and public health practitioners to design better interventions that can target specific populations with different risk attitudes and improve their psychological well-being via increasing FV consumption.

Assessment of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of fish farmers and restaurants food handlers in Bangladesh

The study was conducted to assess the present status of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning the food safety and hygiene issues among fish farmers and food handlers in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Data were collected from 100 respondents (50 fish farmers and 50 food handlers) through face to face interviews. All the respondents agreed that training on hygiene practices was necessary and they were interested to attend training in their spare time. Food handlers (88%) agreed that raw foods must be kept separate from prepared foods and 68% of them believed that improper preservation of foods is harmful to health. About 52% of farmers used a face mask when spreading insecticides, fertilizers, and chemicals. Food handlers were wearing protective clothing (32%) and masks (12%) when touching and distributing unwrapped foods, however no handlers used a cap. A significant strong correlation coefficient (rs) was found between knowledge with attitudes, knowledge with practices and attitudes with practices of 0.73–0.99 among the three domains for fish farmers and food handlers. The correlation among the three levels was satisfactory, however, some food safety concepts and practices regarding hygiene were still insufficient. Therefore, an effective and appropriate training program on food safety and hygiene should be launched in a holistic approach for all fish farmers and food handlers to increase awareness and ensure safe food for consumers with a view to reducing the possibility of disease outbreak.

Investigation and Research on Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior of University Students in Kunming Based on Big Data Analysis

This article uses questionnaire surveys, combined with computer big data analysis, to study the food safety knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of college students in Kunming. The results show that the awareness rate of safety knowledge of the respondents is low, and their attitude and behavior need to be improved. It is necessary for colleges and universities to carry out food safety publicity and education in various ways, to help college students establish a positive and correct attitude towards food safety, and to guide college students to develop good food safety behavior habits.

Educational Program about Food Safety among Food Services Employees in Assiut University Restaurants

Background: Foodborne diseases continue to be a problem that contributes to morbidity and mortality globally. Aim: Evaluate the effectiveness of the educational health program concerning food safety for food services employees in Assiut University restaurants. Subject and methods: Quasi experimental design (one group pre and posttest) carried out in Assiut University restaurants on 202 food services employees who selected by convenient sample. Interview questionnaire was used which included personal data and questions regarding knowledge, attitude and practices about food safety measures to assess the effectiveness of the educational program through immediate posttest. Results: 65.8% of them were male, 43.1% aged >45 years and 43.1% had > 20 years’ experience. Improvement of knowledge regarding food safety noticed after application of the educational program (pre education= 57.33 & post education= 80.12). The mean score of their attitude and practice were 47.05±4.43 and 51.45±6.11 respectively. Conclusion: the study confirmed that the design of the program lead to better knowledge of food services employees. Also, they had proper practices and positive attitude regarding food safety. Recommendation: Continuous education and supporting program for food service employees to improve their food safety knowledge, Attitudes and practices in this field

The effect of food safety education on food safety knowledge, attitudes, behaviors of individuals who work in food and beverage departments in Turkey

The current study was conducted to compare the effects of the training models implemented to enhance food safety knowledge, attitude, and habits of food handlers operating in food, and beverage departments in the tourism industry in Turkey. The staff working in food and beverage departments in hotels and restaurants was selected as a sample to determine how food safety and hygiene training provided at different periods through different techniques have impacts on knowledge, attitude and, behavior.The target group is composed of the staff working in the food and beverage departments of hotels and restaurants in the tourism industry. Between the period September 2018 and December 2019, long-term and short-term training was given to 1150 personnel and the memorability of the training content was checked during controls. Research data were collected by the researchers with face-to-face interviews through a questionnaire form. Data analysis was carried out by using the SPSS 15.0 statistical package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).As a result of the study, it was concluded that long-term training stimulated a positive change in food safety and, hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices (p < 0.001), and the permanence was verified during controls. Even though short-term training also had a positive changes in food safety and hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices (p < 0.001), no significant difference was observed and the permanence could not be verified during controls (p > 0.001).Due to the findings of the study, it is recommended to provide the staff working in food and beverage departments of hotels and restaurants with food safety and hygiene training, and to compose a long-term training model to ensure the transformation of food safety and hygiene knowledge to be reflected in attitudes and habits.