Food Protection Trends - May/June 2023 - 223

Tirhani Asnath Masia,1* Phindile Constance Madonsela,2
Tjale Cloupas Mahopo,1
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
and Cebisa Noxolo Nesamvuni1
1Dept. of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
2
Dept. of Health, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Copyright©
Food Protection Trends, Vol 43, No. 3, p. 223-231
https://doi.org/10.4315/FPT-22-025
2023, International Association for Food Protection
2900 100th Street, Suite 309, Des Moines, IA 50322-3855, USA
Food Safety Knowledge and Practices among
Household Food Handlers in Mangweni Village of
Mpumalanga Province in South Africa
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to assess food safety knowledge and
practices among household food handlers in Mangweni
village, South Africa. A quantitative cross-sectional
study was conducted on 120 households selected using
systematic random sampling. Women over 18 years
of age who were responsible for preparing food in the
selected households were eligible for inclusion in the
study. A simple random sample was used to select
15 from the 120 food handlers to observe their food
handling practices. SPSS version 27 was used to run
the descriptive statistics. Food handlers were between
19 and 43 years of age, with a mean age of 29.9 ±
1.39. Most food handlers had high school (58.3%)
or university or college (33.3%) educations. Levels of
food safety knowledge were found to be poor (44.5%),
good (53.9%), and excellent (1.6%). Our findings show
the need for an intervention to improve food safety
knowledge and practices among food handlers.
INTRODUCTION
In 2010, foodborne diseases led to 600 million illnesses
globally, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33
million healthy life years (7). The highest burden from
foodborne disease is reported in low- and middle-income
countries. According to the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC) (4), 61% of foodborne outbreaks in Europe
and 78% of those in the United States are associated with
the consumption of food from food establishments. Another
assessment survey conducted in 2018 by the European Union
found that 40.5% of foodborne outbreaks originate at home
(5). A review in South Africa reported 1,060 listeriosis cases,
with 216 recorded deaths, in 2017 to 2018 (16). Declared
the largest listeriosis outbreak in the world, it was caused by
ready-to-eat processed meat products.
A review of studies conducted in South Africa from 2013
to 2017 revealed 327 foodborne disease outbreaks, which
resulted in illness in 11,155 individuals, 8,680 hospital visits,
494 hospital admissions, and 49 deaths (12). KwaZulu-Natal
had the most foodborne disease outbreaks (43%), followed
*Author for correspondence: Phone: +27(0)15.962.8906; Fax: +27(0)86.771.1292; Email: Tirhani.masia@univen.ac.za
May/June Food Protection Trends 223

https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/may-jun-23-Masia.pdf https://www.doi.org/10.4315/FPT-22-025

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