TABLE OF
CONTENT
Title Page i
Approval ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
List of figures x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of Problem 4
Purpose of the Study 5
Objectives of the Study 5
Research Questions 5
Research Hypotheses 6
Significance of the Study 6
Scope of the Study 7
Operational Definition of Terms 7
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical Review 32
Conceptual Review 34
Empirical Review 35
Summary of Literature Review 46
CHAPTER
THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design 47
Area of Study 47
Population of Study 48
Sample 48
Inclusion Criteria 48
Sampling Procedure 49
Instrument for Data Collection 49
Validity of Instrument 50
Reliability of Instrument 50
Ethical Consideration 50
Procedure for Data Collection 50
Method of Data Analysis 51
CHAPTER FOUR:
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Data Presentation and analysis 52
Summary of Major Findings 63
CHAPTER
FIVE: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Discussion of findings 65
Implication of the findings 68
Limitations of the study 69
Summary 70
Conclusion 71
Recommendations 71
Suggestions for further studies 72
References 73
Appendix I Names of restaurants in
the two selected towns in Nnewi Urban 85
Appendix ii Selection of sample
size using the minimum sample size formula 87
Appendix iii Calculation of
proportion of restaurants
88
Appendix iv Instrument for data
collection 89
LIST
OF TABLES
Table
1: Recommended minimum internal temperature
of food 30
Table
2: Socio-demographic data of the
respondents 52
Table
3: Knowledge
of food safety by food handlers 53
Table
4a: Food
safety practices in food preservation (questionnaire items) 55
Table
4b: Food
safety practices in food preservation (checklist items) 56
Table
5a: Food
safety practices in food preparation (questionnaire items) 57
Table
5b: Food
safety practices in food preparation (checklist items) 58
Table
6a: Food
safety practices in food serving (questionnaire items) 60
Table
6b: Food
safety practices in food serving (checklist items) 61
Table
7: Overall
practice of food safety 61
Table
8: Relationship
between age and knowledge of food safety 62
Table
9: Relationship
between educational level and food safety practice 62
Table
10: Relationship between length of service
and food safety practice 63
LIST
OF FIGURES
Figure
1: Theory of Reasoned action to explain
food handlers knowledge and
practice
of food safety. 33
ABSTRACT
Food
borne disease remains a major public Health problem across the globe. The high
incidence of food borne illness has led to an increase in global concern about
food safety. The purpose of this was to assess food safety, knowledge and
practices among food handlers in restaurants in Nnewi Urban. The researcher
utilized a cross sectional descriptive survey design and a convenient sampling
method was used to reach one hundred and eighty (180) food handlers from two
randomly selected towns in Nnewi Urban. A validated questionnaire and checklist
constructed by the researcher were used to collect data. Information obtained
from the questionnaire and checklists were subjected to descriptive statistics
and chi-square test of association at 0.05 level of significance. Analysis of
data was done with the SPSS version 20.0. Findings revealed that majority (77.9%)
of respondents had good knowledge of food safety. Above average (58.6%) were
observed to have good food safety practices. There was no relationship between
age of respondents and knowledge of food safety (p = .693). There was no
relationship between educational level and food safety practices (p = .404).Length
of service of respondents was significantly related to their practice of food
safety (p = .015).Based on these findings, it was recommended that Health and
Environmental Authorities should improve on the implementation of existing food
hygiene laws. Nurses, Public health officers and Health educators; should
intensify efforts to correct poor food safety practices. The government and
related health agencies should provide the necessary logistics to ensure that
all restaurants / food handlers are registered especially in rural areas.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Food
is an important basic necessity, its procurement, preparation and consumption
are vital for the sustenance of life. Food is any substance that can be taken
through ingestion to supply nutrient and energy for growth and development.
Food has direct influence on health and it is therefore pertinent to keep food
free from contamination, (Daniyan & Nwokwu, 2011). Food handlers play
important role in ensuring food production and storage, (Abdalla & Suliman,
2009).
Food safety is an
area of public health action to protect consumer from the risks of food
poisoning and food borne diseases, acute or chronic. Unsafe food can lead to a
range of health problems: diarrhoeal disease, viral disease (the first Ebola
cases were linked to contaminated bush meat); reproductive and developmental
problems, cancers. Food safety is thus a prerequisite for food security (WHO,
2015). Unsafe food can contain harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical
substances, and cause more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhea to cancers
(WHO 2015).
New threats to food
safety are constantly emerging, changes in food production, distribution and
consumption (globalization of food trade, mass catering and street food);
changes in the environment; new and emerging bacteria and toxins; antimicrobial
resistance – all increase the risk that food becomes contaminated (WHO, 2015).
Increase in travel and trade enhance the likelihood that contamination can
spread. The World Health Organization helps and encourages countries to
prevent, detect and respond to food borne disease outbreaks- in line with the
codex alimentarius, a collection of international food standards, guidelines
and codes of practice covering all the main foods (WHO, 2015). Access to
sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is the key to sustaining life
and promoting good health. Food borne and water borne diarrhoeal diseases kill
an estimated 2 million people annually, including many children (WHO, 2015).
Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked. Unsafe food
creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting
infants, young children, the elderly and the sick (WHO, 2015).
Food safety requires
much more than a clean premises (Adewunmi, Ajayi, & Omotoso, 2014). The
knowledge of food handlers’ practices is the key to addressing the trend of
increasing food-borne diseases (Adweunmi et al, 2014). Food poisoning and other
food borne diseases could occur in restaurants located in places such as
schools, hostel, hospitals and market places where food and drinks are served
or sold to groups by food handlers (Adweunmi et al, 2014). The high incidence
of food borne illness has led to an increase in global concern about food
safety (Van Tonder, 2007). In the UK alone it is estimated that there are a
million cases of food borne disease each year, resulting in 200,000 hospital
admissions and 500 deaths (Food Standards Agency, 2011). Similarly, in the US,
one in six of the population is thought to suffer from food borne disease
annually with 3000 deaths attributed to this cause (Painter, Hockstra & Tauxe,
2013). While there are no known estimates of the global economic burden from
food borne disease, in the UK it is reported to be I.8 billion pounds per annum
(Food Standards Agency, 2013).
Individuals aged over 60 years, pregnant women, children under five
years and others with a compromised immune system are thought to be
particularly vulnerable to the effects of food borne disease. Several food-borne disease outbreaks have
been reported to be associated with poor personal hygiene of people handling
food stuffs (ACMSC, 2009).
Food borne diseases
are increasing in both developed and developing countries. Diarrhoea diseases,
mostly caused by food borne microbial pathogens, are leading causes of illness
and death in developing countries, killing an estimated 1.9 million people
annually at the global level (Adewunmmi et al, 2014). Food contamination may occur at
any point during its journey production, processing, distributing, and
preparation (Green 2006). Infection can also be acquired through contaminated
unwashed fingers, insects, circulation of bank notes and wind during dry
weathers (Isara, 2009). Street food have been designated important sources of
affordable food, but often do not meet proper hygiene standards, in large part
because of weak regulatory systems, lack of good financial resources to invest
in safer equipment, and lack of education for food handlers. The food may
satisfy immediate needs, but pays little attention to food safety (Santosh,
Nogueira, & Patara, 2008).
However, in
developing countries, biological contaminants largely bacteria and other
parasites constitute the major causes of food-borne diseases often transmitted
through food, water, nails and fingers contaminated with faeces. Accordingly,
food handlers with poor personal hygiene could be potential sources of
infections by these micro-organism (Ifeadike, Ironkwe, Adogu, Nnebue,
Emelumadu, Nwabueze & Ubajaka, 2014).
In recent years,
changing lifestyle, breakdown of joint family system and increase in number of
working women has led to consumption of ready-to-eat foods from restaurants
(Santosh et al, 2008). These have resulted in more school children, university
students, and workers depending on restaurants for breakfast and midday food,
thus the whole community is involved. The implication is that people in the
community are exposed to hazards of purchasing food from restaurants that may
harbour dangerous pathogens or have the potentials of spreading infection to a
large number of populations. Food handlers in restaurants are required to
follow health standards of handling food and keeping their cooking areas clean
and bacteria free. An adequate supply of safe, wholesome and healthy food is
essential to the health and well being of humans (e-How, 2011).
Statement of Problem
ASSESSMENT OF FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES AMONG FOOD HANDLERS
IN RESTAURANTS IN NNEWI URBAN
