Assessing the level of hygiene practices among casual and organized restaurant operators in Prampram.

Abstract

This study set out to assess food vending hygiene practices among food vendors in the casual restaurants and the organized restaurants in Prampram Township. The objectives

of the study were to assess food hygiene practices among food vendors in handling, preparing and serving food, analyse the level of knowledge and training of food vendors

on hygiene practices and examine the knowledge of food vendors on activities of

institutional set ups that governs the hygiene practices among food vendors. A total of 40 respondents were interviewed from selected organized restaurants and casual restaurant with 20 respondents from each set up for the study. The findings showed that the respondents interviewed at both had 52.5% of them within the youthful age. Both restaurants had 37.5% of the respondents attaining secondary education and

15% attaining tertiary education. 55% of the respondents were engaged in food vending

to earn a living and not necessarily because they learnt the profession.40% of the respondents look out for rotten parts on food stuffs, 5% look out for tender parts and 15% look at the appearance of the food stuffs before buying them for food preparation. 75% of

the food vendors buy their meat products from meat shops, 15% buy from buy from

abattoir and 10% buy from the open market. Majority (75%) of the respondents are

connected to the national for their water supply and 25% buy water from water tankers

for food preparation and serving. 20% of the respondents in the casual restaurants do not have hand washing facilities at the premises whiles at the organized restaurant 42.5% of them have between one to four hand washing facilities in the premises. 85% of the

respondents have never had any training on food hygiene practices and a majority of 95% have an idea of the food vendors’ certification and have undergone the medical screening as at the time of interview. Also the respondents at the organized restaurant (10%) said they do have officers from both the Food and Drugs Authority visiting and 12.5% said Environmental Health Department of the Ningo-Prampram District Assembly visit their

premises to inspect the place but at the casual restaurants it is only the Environmental

Health Officers who visit their premises for inspection. The study recommended that

institutional set ups (Food and Drugs Authority and Environmental Health Officers of the

District) in charge of ensuring safety at food premises should live up to their responsibilities and also conduct training for all food vendors if possible or at a cost that can be patronized by all to ensure and promote food safety and good hygiene practices at all food premises.