Food safety in selected senior high schools in the Ho Municipality, Volta Region

Abstract

In the school catering setting, food handlers particularly those in boarding senior high schools are considered the most sensitive group responsible for all forms of contamination resulting in various forms of food-borne illnesses. The purpose of the study was to assess food safety in selected Senior High Schools in the Ho Municipality. Questionnaire and observation checklist were used to gather data on the food safety knowledge and practices of 97 food handlers recruited from boarding secondary schools registered with the Ghana Education Service in the Ho Municipality. Sixty food samples collected from the schools were also analyzed to determine their microbial quality. Chi-square statistic was used to establish the relationship between food safety knowledge and the socio-demographic characteristics of food handlers. The results showed that majority of food handlers had high knowledge in food safety issues but their practices did not reflect this level of knowledge. Among the major barriers that accounted for the gap between knowledge and practice were inadequate provision of equipment and resources, irregular water supply as well as inadequate space and the unenclosed nature of the kitchen. These subsequently influenced the microbial quality of prepared foods served to students. It is recommended that closer and more stringent supervision during food preparation processes in boarding secondary schools should be carried out by the Ho Municipal Assembly to prevent possible outbreak of food-borne illness in the future. Also, health education should be carried out by the Ho Municipal Assembly together with the school authorities to improve the food safety knowledge and hygiene practices of food handlers.