Abstract:
While the ail of cooking tasty and well garnished food may be a pleasurable
activity, food providers must be mindful of their role towards the wellbeing of
their customers. They must, therefore, consider the nutritional aspect of the food
they prepare and merge that with their culinary skills. This study assessed
nutrition literacy and knowledge based on evidence from 497 food production
staff in restaurants using a cross-sectional study design. It was revealed that the
five leading sources of nutrition information were the internet, television,
nutrition textbooks, cookbooks and the radio. The study also revealed the
deficiencies in the level of culinary nutrition knowledge among the respondents.
Their level of confidence in making culinary nutrition decisions was found to
be generally moderate and varied significantly across the socio-demographic
characteristics. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the respondents
possess moderate functional literacy but high interactive and critical nutrition
literacy. This suggests that not everyone proceeds in a hierarchical manner in
attaining the optimal level - Critical Nutrition Literacy. It is recommended that
tailored nutrition information to the respondents should take cognisance of the
individual differences in their nutrition literacy skills. The language used in the
dissemination of nutrition information targeting this group should also be
diversified especially for the non-print sources incorporating the local dialect.
Additionally, nutrition policies and interventions should be geared towards
enhancing nutrition knowledge and increasing the confidence
production staff in order for them to make culinary nutrition decisions for the
wellbeing of their customers. Finally, this study serves as a basis for further
assessment of literacy and knowledge in culinary nutrition.
