Food Protection Trends - May/June 2023 - 230

Both appropriate and inappropriate food handling
practices were self-reported and observed in this study.
Inappropriate food safety practices among women food
handlers have been reported in Jordan (10) and Pakistan
(2). Such improper food safety practices may increase the
risk of foodborne illnesses in households, especially among
vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and
older people.
Washing hands during food handling, preparation, and
serving is crucial in preventing foodborne disease outbreaks
(17). More than half (56.6%) of the women in this study
reported appropriate hand washing practices. During
observation, 60% of the women practiced proper hand
washing before food preparation. Women in home-based
food businesses in Jordan reported washing their hands
before food preparation (10). In Pakistan, 57.9% of food
handlers reported washing their hands before cooking
and serving food (2). Some studies have found a lack of
appropriate hand washing practices. According to Le Nguyen
et al. (8), in a study done in Vietnam, 52.5% of food vendors
did not wash their hands before handling, preparing, and
serving food. In the rural area of the Kancheepuram District
of Tamil Nadu, 27% of the household food handlers did not
wash their hands before cooking (9).
After knives are used to cut meat, it is important to wash
them with warm water and soap and wipe them with a clean
cloth before they are used to chop vegetables, to avoid crosscontamination.
Less than a quarter (21.7%) of food handlers
in the current study practiced appropriate hygiene to avoid
such cross-contamination. Women in home-based food
businesses in Jordan reported that they washed knives used
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2. Ahmed, M. H., A. Akbar, and M. B. Sadiq.
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European Centre for Disease Prevention
and Control (EFSA and ECDC). 2018. The
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and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents
and foodborne outbreaks in 2017. EFSA J.
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230 Food Protection Trends May/June
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to cut meat with warm water and soap and disinfected them
before using them to chop vegetables (10). A study done
in Pakistan showed that 49.5% of the food handlers washed
food contact surfaces such as chopping boards, tables, and
knives with antibacterial soap before food preparation (2).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, more than half of the food handlers
demonstrated good food safety knowledge; both appropriate
and inappropriate food handling practices were self-reported
and observed. The findings highlight the need to initiate
food safety empowerment activities, including education and
campaigns to improve food safety knowledge and practices
among food handlers. Data from this study will add value to
the existing information and can be used as a reference. The
information may assist in developing an educational tool
suitable to the target population. It is recommended that
further studies should be conducted on a larger population of
different areas in the country to identify other risks to human
health concerning food safety.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Due to limited resources, the study was restricted to one
village comprising a population of the same cultural group;
thus, the authors cannot generalize the findings. Another
limitation is that the evaluation of food safety practices
was more challenging because of self-reported bias and the
presence of the researchers during observation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank the women who participated in this study.
http://www.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1549131 http://www.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1549131
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