Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in lebanese hospitals: A cross-sectional study

Bou-Mitri, Christelle; Mahmoud, Darine; Gerges, N. El; Jaoude, Maya Abou

doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.06.032

Cited by 82 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, there are limited studies that used observation to investigate the food handling practices (da Cunha, Stedefeldt, & de Rosso, ; Soares et al, ; de Souza, de Azevedo, & Seabra, ). Self‐reported practices may not necessarily be the actual practiced food handling behavior (Bou‐Mitri et al, ; McIntyre et al, ), as they may include respondent bias in the study findings (Ncube, Ncube, & Voyi, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This underlines the need for further studies concerning the determinants of safe food handling behavior. Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) of food handlers on food safety has received much global research (Rebouças et al, 2016;Al-Shabib, Mosilhey, & Husain, 2016;Bou-Mitri, Mahmoud, Gerges, & Jaoude, 2018;Zanin, Cunha, Rosso, Capriles, & Stedefeldt, 2017). However, there are limited studies that used observation to investigate the food handling practices (da Cunha, Stedefeldt, & de Rosso, 2014;Soares et al, 2012;de Souza, de Azevedo, & Seabra, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of restaurant food handlers in a lower‐middle‐income country

Kanda

Chijokwe

Mabaya

et al. 2020

Food Science & Nutrition

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Global research attention appears to be focused predominantly on self‐reported than observed food safety practices. The purpose of this study was to determine the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self‐reported and observed practices of food handlers in 22 urban restaurants in Zimbabwe. A piloted questionnaire was used to gather qualitative data regarding socio‐demographic variables, food safety knowledge (FSK), attitudes, and self‐reported food handling practices (SRFHPs). A predesigned checklist was used to observe the food handling practices. FSK scores were significantly higher in food handlers who received basic food safety training compared to those who did not (p < .05). No differences in food safety knowledge and attitudes were noted based on the socio‐demographic characteristics of the food handlers (p > .05). A significant positive correlation was observed between FSK and attitudes (rs = 0.371, p < .05), FSK and SRFHPs (rs = 0.242, p < 0.05), FSK and observed food handling practices (OFHPs) (rs = 0.254, p < .05), attitudes and SRFPs (rs = 0.229, p < .05), and attitudes and OFHPs (rs = 0.263, p < .05). About half of the food handlers washed their hands in sinks meant for washing cutlery, 57% did not use approved hand drying methods, and 19.8% did not adequately thaw frozen foods. Food was commonly defrosted either under room temperature or using hot water (>45°C). Results suggest a need for mandatory basic and advanced training to improve the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of restaurant food handlers in a lower‐middle‐income country

Kanda

Chijokwe

Mabaya

et al. 2020

Food Science & Nutrition

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“…The fact that only a minority of hospital food handlers knew that pathogens in food will grow rapidly when food is subjected to temperatures of 37˚C is a concern regarding the correct handling of TCS food in hospitals and the prevention of microbial growth [60,62]. The possession of inadequate knowledge of microbial hazards and critical temperature ranges by food handlers has been reported in many studies [8,63]. This is further supported by the fact that food handlers within different subgroups under the level of education, job position and food safety training course attendance, significantly (p ≤ 0.05) differed on how they correctly indicated the main foodborne bacteria associated with poultry although they correctly stated that pathogens in food will multiply if the temperature of the food reaches 37˚C.…”

Section: Knowledge On Microbial Hazards and Foodborne Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment Of The Food Safety Knowledge and Attitudes Of Food Handlers In Hospitals

Tabit

Teffo

2020

Preprint

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Background: The possession of inadequate food safety knowledge (FSK) by food handlers poses a serious threat to food safety in service establishments. The aim of this research was to investigate factors that influenced the FSK and food safety attitudes (FSA) of employees involved in the preparation and/or the serving of food from nine hospitals in the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Method: Up to 210 individuals (18-65 years) who were employed in these hospitals, and who were involved in the preparation and serving of food to patients were purposefully selected. Data collection was by means of an interview using a questionnaire design for this study. The FSK and FSA scores of hospital food handlers were obtained by adding the correct response to FSK or FSA questions.Results: Only 29% of the hospital food handlers have attended a food safety-training course. Many food handlers were not knowledgeable on the correct temperature for handling foods, and on the correct minimum internal cooking temperature for poultry, seafood and egg. Only the minority of food handlers knew that Salmonella is the main foodborne bacteria pathogen mostly associated with poultry products (47.1%) and that food borne bacteria will grow quickly in food at a temperature of 37 ˚C (38.1%). Hospital food handlers with higher academic qualifications do not possess more FSK than those with lower academic qualifications. 51% of the hospital food handlers possessed a Satisfactory FSK while 10% possessed a Good FSK and 39% possessed an Inadequate FSK.Conclusion: More than 60% of the hospital food handlers possesses either Good FSK or Satisfactory FSK. Higher levels of education, experience in food handling and job position did not lead to better FSK outcome. All the hospital food handlers possess at least a Satisfactory FSA. There was a weak positive but significant correlation between the FSK and FSA of hospital food handlers. It is recommended all employees involved in food handlers be subjected to food safety training programmes on a regular basis irrespective of their academic, employment and training details.

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“…It is documented that food safety knowledge declines over time with no refreshing training [97]. Researchers' attention and focus on this area are growing in the region as more studies were recently published on the food safety knowledge of food handlers in the food or health sector [98][99][100][101][102]. This is quite important for they revealed the importance of food safety education and identified areas where the public sector and relevant health authorities should be engaged to promote awareness in food safety.…”

Section: Communication Education and Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention and Control of Foodborne Diseases in Middle-East North African Countries: Review of National Control Systems

Faour-Klingbeil

Todd²

2019

IJERPH

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Foodborne diseases continue to be a global public health problem with an estimated 600 million people falling ill annually. In return, international standards are becoming stricter which poses challenges to food trade. In light of the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have upgraded their food laws and undertaken changes to the organizational structure of their regulatory institutions to maintain or expand international export activities, tighten control on local and imported products, and protect consumers’ health. However, until this date, the published information on the regional health burdens of foodborne diseases is very limited and it is not clear whether the recent changes will serve towards science-based and effective preventive functions and the adoption of the risk management approach. In this review, we summarize the recent food safety issues and the national food control systems of selected countries in the region although we were challenged with the scarcity of information. To this end, we examined the national food safety systems in the context of the five essential elements of the FAO/WHO Guidelines for Strengthening National Food Control Systems. These five elements—food law and regulations; food control management; inspection services; laboratory services; food monitoring; and epidemiological data, information, education, communication, and training—constitute the building blocks of a national food control system, but could also serve as tools to assess the effectiveness of the systems.

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Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in lebanese hospitals: A cross-sectional study

Cited by 82 publications

References 20 publications

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of restaurant food handlers in a lower‐middle‐income country

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of restaurant food handlers in a lower‐middle‐income country

An Assessment Of The Food Safety Knowledge and Attitudes Of Food Handlers In Hospitals

Prevention and Control of Foodborne Diseases in Middle-East North African Countries: Review of National Control Systems

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