Factors associated with food safety practices among food-handlers: a facility-based cross-sectional study
Keywords:
Food safety; Food handlers; Food hygieneAbstract
Foodborne diseases remain a significant yet under-reported public health issue, particularly in developing countries where unhygienic food handling practices and limited infrastructure persist. Food handlers play a vital role in maintaining food hygiene
Aim and Objectives:
To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding food hygiene and safety among food handlers in a private university of Eastern India, and to examine their association with selected socio-demographic variables.
Methods and Materials:
A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in hostel messes and kitchens of a private university in Eastern India. This study, was undertaken from December 2025 to February 2026, among 150food-handlers working in the kitchens of hostels of the university. The data were collected through face-to-face interview, using a semi-structured, researcher-made questionnaire. All data were presented as descriptive statistics and associations using bivariate analysis. Domain scores below or equal to the mean-values were considered “poor”, while those above as “good.Data were entered and analysed using Epi Info version 7.3.2.
Results:
Of the 150 food-handlers, 45.33%were females, 57.33%were married and 38.67%belonged to upper socio-economic class. Their mean age was 39.4 ± 13.28SD (range18-60years). The mean domain-scores in the knowledge, attitude and practice were 11.65±3.57 (range3-18), 9.55±2.28 (range6-16) and 24.46±2.78 (range18-30) respectively. Factors such as education level, years of experience, and prior food safety training showed significant associations with better domain scores.
Conclusion:
Overall, food-handlers had better scores in the practices domain as compared to knowledge and attitude, which may be due to the regular ongoing awareness-activities and monitoring programs with regards to food-hygiene surveillance, which is a mandate in the university.
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Copyright (c) 2026 DR. ANWESA ROY, DR. JYOTISHKA MUKHERJEE, Prof.(DR.)IPSA MOHAPATRA, Sai Chandan Das
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