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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1471429

Food Safety Practices and Associated Factors among Food Handlers in Food Establishments in Adama Town, Central Ethiopia

Provisionally accepted
Tamiru Yazew Tamiru Yazew 1*Nimona Gemeda Nimona Gemeda 1Meseret Moroda Meseret Moroda 1Chala G. Kuyu Chala G. Kuyu 2
  • 1 Salale University, Fitche, Ethiopia
  • 2 Jimma University, Jimma, Oromia, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Foodborne infections caused by a variety of variables pose serious public health risks, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in poor nations like Ethiopia. However, the study contains a deficit in information about food safety practices and associated factors.Thus, this study assessed food safety practices and influencing factors among food handlers in public food establishments in Adama town, centeral Ethiopia. . An institution-based cross-sectional design was used for this study. A total of 319 food handlers were selected through systematic random sampling, with data collected through face-to-face interviews using the Kobo tool. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary and multivariate logistic regressions using SPSS V-27. Significant factors associated with food safety practices were determined based on Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR), 95% Confidence Intervals (CI), and a significance level set at p < 0.05. The findings revealed that 64.79% of food handlers exhibited commendable food safety practices. Factors significantly associated with the food safety practices included knowledge (AOR = 2.106, 95% CI: 1.23–3.606), attitude (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.169–3.334), ownership status of the establishment (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.48–4.98), and monthly salary (AOR = 0.516, 95% CI: 0.293–0.906). Food safety practices among food handlers in public food establishments rank as medium compared to other studies conducted in the country. These findings indicates the vital role of education, awareness campaigns, and training programs in promoting safe food handling practices. Therefore, to ensure safe and healthy food, there is a need for targeted interventions, mainly focusing on improving food handler knowledge and attitudes, to enhance food safety standards in public food establishments. It is recommended that authorities and organizations prioritize significant factors identified in this study to reduce foodborne illnesses, ensure public health, and foster a culture of responsible food-handling practices.

    Keywords: Food Handling, Food Safety, Practices, Public Food establishment, Ethiopia

    Received: 27 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yazew, Gemeda, Moroda and G. Kuyu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Tamiru Yazew, Salale University, Fitche, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.