Knowledge and Practices of Food Safety Among Food Handlers in the Selected Primary SChools in Makindye Division, Kampala.

Abstract

Background of the study: Food is an important basic necessity which is essential for health and wellbeing of humans and so if the proper food handling and preparation processes are not followed it might pose health risks to the consumer. Pupils in schools can be exposed to infections and possible complications; gastroenteritis can impair digestion and absorption of nutrients and the perception or fear about poor food hygiene practices might result in pupils rejecting food. Objective: The overall objective of this study was to establish knowledge levels and practices of food safety among food handlers in selected primary schools in Makindye division, Kampala

Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in Makindye division, 10 primary schools involving 103 food handlers. Schools were selected using a simple random selection so as to get equal respondents. An interviewer administered questionnaire and key informant interview guide were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data which was entered in SPSS for descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis.

Results: Safe food was found to be at 20.4% among the food handlers in the selected schools in Makindye division. Three independent factors were found to be significantly associated with food safety; formal training (p=0.00), level of knowledge (p=0.00) and use of protective coverings (p=0.00). Conclusion: The safety of food in Makindye division is at stake with only 20.4% safe food among primary schools. This implies that pupils in these schools are at risk of contracting food borne diseases. The low percentage of safe food is attributed to lack of formal training among food handlers regarding food safety, lack of adequate knowledge on best practices of food and failure to wear protective clothing’s while conducting food processes.