On-farm food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of layer hen farmers

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of farmers regarding the on-farm food safety measures in the commercial layer farms in Thailand prior the implementation of the mandatory Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standard. Design/methodology/approach The cross-sectional study was conducted through the face-to-face interview with a questionnaire in 143 GAP certified and 59 non-GAP certified farms. The levels of safety and quality measures implemented in farms were evaluated using a self-reported approach. Scoring system was applied to investigate the relationship between level of practices and its determining factors using the correlation test. Findings The layer hen farmers appeared to have an adequate level of knowledge on safety and quality measures; however, some misconception on recommended practices was still observed. The significant differences (p<0.001) in the regularity of practices adopted in farms were noticed between GAP and non-GAP groups. The GAP farmers have higher level of knowledge, and positive attitudes toward implementation. Only the weak positive relationships were found between all KAP variables which implied that there are other factors influencing the translation of knowledge and favorable attitudes into practices. Originality/value None of the on-farm food safety KAP report has been published in Thailand. This study highlights the gaps in the practices and issues needed to be focused by standard promoters for developing the knowledge translation programs aimed at enhancing the standard of layer farming.

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

“…In addition, almost 54% of food handlers in food restaurants did not show interest in washing their hands before cooking meals. The negative attitudes towards the practice of food safety guidelines are not only due to the lack of proper training, proper time management and insufficient facilities, but also improper management of farm managers as well as owners who usually claim their management system to be superior to other farms with low chance for contamination (Coleman and Roberts, 2005;Todd et al, 2010;Thongpalad et al, 2019). Nevertheless, insufficient knowledge of fish farmers in food safety, fish farmers are in the habit of applying various chemicals in the aquatic environment which are toxic to users and non-targeted aquatic organisms (Little et al, 2018).…”

“…Infected farmers and handlers are common sources of food-borne viruses (Hepatitis A virus, diarrhoea) which are released in large amounts in the surrounding environment through the excreta of the infected individuals, which may be the cause of food-borne virus infections (Velebit et al, 2019;Bozkurt et al, 2020). Again, in the farm various types of fish disease are caused because of poor knowledge of food use, handling and transportation (Thongpalad et al, 2019).…”

“…Food poisoning outbreaks can be caused by insufficient temperature and time control of food and secondary contamination (Mun, 2020). These safety measures are poorly maintained in many parts of the world (Al-Shabib et al, 2016;Thongpalad et al, 2019) which can be attributed to poor knowledge, attitudes and practices.…”

Food safety knowledge and hygienic‐sanitary control: A needed company for public well‐being

“…In the context of this study, attitude refers to food handlers' dispositions towards the practice of hygienic‐sanitary condition for food safety as it relates to their food safety knowledge. As the core tenets of KAP model suggest, positive attitude is required for the successful translation of knowledge acquired on during training into practice of food safety (Thongpalad, Kuwornu, Datta, Chulakasian, & Anal, ). When handlers demonstrate positive attitude toward food safety, they are conscious of their ability to serve as carriers of pathogens, virus, and other infectious materials that can contaminate the food hygiene (Lee et al, ).…”

“…Based on the information presented above, our study develops and tests a conceptual model (Figure ) that examines the mediating role of food handlers' attitude in the association between food safety knowledge and hygienic‐sanitary conditions for food safety. The KAP model (Thongpalad et al, ) has been used to explain the aforesaid relationships. Specifically, the model posits that food safety knowledge of food handlers and food handlers' attitude needs improves handlers' observation of hygienic‐sanitary conditions hospitality domain and results in prevention of food borne diseases.…”