Food safety and hygiene among food handlers at princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University canteens

Abstract

There is increased chance of food contamination due to handling by many individuals during the process of storage, preparation, and serving which affect consumer health. Food handlers at Princess Nourah University play a big role in assuring food safety as they serve 53000 students who regularly eat readymade or fast cooked meals from the university’s canteens. To assess food handlers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices about food safety and their relationship to work satisfaction in Princess Nourah University canteens and restaurants. A cross-sectional study was conducted among food handlers working in the two main food services’ canteens in PNU. Seventy two food handlers were recruited from PNU canteens using a purposive sampling technique from 19 December 2017 to the end of February 2018. It was found that 100% of the participants had good level of knowledge about food safety measures, 58.31% had good level of attitude toward food safety measure. Also, 73.61% had good level of practice and 52.7% were satisfied with their work. There was no significant relationship between work satisfaction and knowledge, attitude, and practice of food handlers ( P value > 0.05). Food handlers at Princess Nourah University need training programs to improve their attitude and motivate them to better practice.

Keywords: Food safety, work satisfaction, food handlers