Food Hygiene Practices Among Food Handlers in Ahmadu Bello University (A.B.U.), Zaria

Food Hygiene Practices Among Food Handlers in Ahmadu Bello University (A.B.U.), Zaria.

ABSTRACT

Food hygiene is a subject of great concern to anyone who cares about eating healthy and staying alive because the import of food borne illness can occasionally be grave.

This research work was carried out among food handlers in Ahmadu Bello University (A.B.U.), Zaria, Kaduna state of Nigeria; it sought to assess the level of knowledge of food hygiene among food handlers, attitude of food handlers towards hygiene, practice of food hygiene by food handlers.

The nature and frequency of medical examination(s) the handlers undergo and to also to screen the food handlers to detect those who might be harbouring Salmonella species in their alimentary canal, an organism that can cause food poisoning under favourable conditions.

A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out involving 174 food handlers who met the inclusion criteria. Data was collected via the use of pre-tested questionnaires with the aid of research assistants and analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 15.0.

The mean age of respondents was 34.47 ± 13.92 years. Knowledge of food hygiene was good among the handlers (94.3%) likewise the attitude (75.9%) but good practice was practiced by very few food handlers (0.6%) whereas majority of them had fair practice (76.4%). More food handlers had periodic medical examination than those who had pre-employment medical examination; 67.1% and 28.3% respectively.

Stool microscopy and culture revealed that 2 of the handlers were asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella, typhimurium and 1 handler was a carrier of Escherichia, coli.

Statistical testing with Chi-square at p<0.05 showed that educational level of the handlers had no direct effect on the practice of food hygiene. Likewise attitude of handlers towards food hygiene and duration of stay had no impact on food hygiene practices of food handlers.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page i

Declaration ii

Certification iii

Dedication iv

Acknowledgement v

Abstract vi

Table of content viii

List of Abbreviations xi

List of Tables xii

List of Figures xiii

List of Appendices xiv

Chapter One

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Definition of terms 3

1.2 Problem statement 5

1.3 Justification 6

1.4 Aim and objectives 7

Chapter two

2.0 Literature review (Introduction) 9

2.01 Food hygiene 9

2.1 Food handlers‟ knowledge, attitude and practice of food hygiene; a review of literatures 10

2.1.1 Knowledge of food hygiene 10

2.1.2 Attitude of food handlers towards food hygiene 15

2.1.3 Food hygiene practices among food handlers 16 ix

2.20 Food poisoning (an overview) 22

2.30 Standard food hygiene practices, food handlers‟ hygiene and environmental hygiene 23

2.40 Food policy 29

2.50 Regulatory agencies 33

2.60 Future directions for food safety at the World Health Organization (WHO) 35

Chapter Three

3.0 Methodology 37

3.1 Background information on the study area 37

3.2 Study design 38

3.3 Study population 38

3.3.1 Inclusion criteria 38

3.3.2 Exclusion criteria 38

3.4 Sample size 39

3.5 Tool(s) for data collection 39

3.6 Data collection 39

3.7 Data analysis 40

3.8 Ethical consideration 42

3.9 Limitation 42

Chapter four

4.0 Results 43 x

Chapter five

5.0 Discussion 59

Chapter six

6.1 Summary 67

6.2 Conclusion 68

6.3 Recommendations 68

References 70

Appendices 73

INTRODUCTION

Food hygiene practices is a subject of wide scope and it is a broad term used to describe the preservation and preparation of foods in a manner that ensures the food is safe for human consumption. Food hygiene deals with the prevention of contamination of food stuffs at all stages of production, collection, transportation, storage, preparation, sale and consumption.

Food borne illness is defined as a disease, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. This process of kitchen safety includes proper storage of food items prior to use, maintaining a clean environment when preparing the food, and making sure that all serving dishes are clean and free of bacteria that could lead to some type of contamination.

The food storage aspect of food hygiene is focused on maintaining the quality of the food, so that it will be fresh when used in different recipes. Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illnesses. This include the number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit diseases from one person to the other as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

REFERENCES

Malcolm T, Bronwyn H. What is food hygiene? Global Food Safety Consultants. 2005. Website: www.thefsc.co.uk. Accessed: 19th Feb. 2011.
 World Health Organization. Food safety and food borne illness. Updated: March 2007. Website: www.who.int/foodsafety. Accessed: 19th Feb. 2011.
World Health Organization. Recommended International Code of Practice. General Principle of Food Hygiene. 1999. Website: www.who.int/foodsafety. Accessed: 19th Feb. 2011.
Alapati A. Food Poisoning: Definition, Symptoms, Signs, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention & Lawyers. Health Chrome. The Bantam Medical Dictionary. 6th ed. Website:  http://www.emedicinehealth.com/food_poisoning and http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Causes_Of_Food_Poisoning/overview. Retrieved on 11th June, 2011.
Glyn W. The Burden of Food Borne Illness. Food Safety C & G International Inc. 2010 Aug 17;246. Accessed on 8th Mar. 2011 from www.ceeandgee.com
Akunyili D. 20,000 die annually of food poisoning. Accessed from www.nigeriabestforum.com website on 8th Mar. 2011.
Omemu AM, Aderoju ST. Food safety knowledge and practices of street vendors in the city of Abeokuta, Nigeria. Food control. 2008 Apr;19(4):396-402

StudentsandScholarship Team.