Food contamination in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria: Implications for food hygiene and safety

The study was aimed to assess the food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria. A descriptive cross‐sectional study, using structured interviewer‐administered questionnaires, was carried out amongst 456 participants, selected by a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected on socio‐demographic variables, knowledge of food hygiene and safety, health and personal hygiene, foodborne illnesses as well as the food hygiene and safety practices of the study subjects. A χ2 test was conducted to test the association between variables. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Of the 456 respondents, 131 (28.7%) were aware of the term ‘foodborne disease’. Potential food contaminants reported by respondents included worms and parasites (20.2%), piece of wood (19.1%) and germs (16.9%). Only 30 (6.6%) respondents were aware that spices and colourings were potential contaminants of food. A majority (99.6%) of the respondents washed their hands after using the toilet. The basket was most commonly used for storage of utensils by the 186 respondents (40.8%). This was followed by the cupboard 142 (31.1%), floor 103 (22.6) and wheelbarrow 51 (11.2%). Twenty‐nine respondents (24.4%) who had received food safety training demonstrated a good knowledge of food hygiene and safety compared with those who did not have food safety training 16 (4.7%). There was a statistically significant association between food safety training and respondents' knowledge of food hygiene and safety (p = .001). Training in food hygiene and safety equips vendors with the right knowledge of food hygiene and safety. This enhances good food handling practices and ensures quality products for consumer consumption. Three hundred and fifty‐nine of them (78.7%) did not take a periodic medical examination. 8.8% of the respondents took periodic medical examination biannually, 7.5% and 5.0% of them took periodic medical examination annually and biennially, respectively. This study showed that street food vendors in Benin City have poor knowledge of food hygiene and safety, their practice of food hygiene and safety fell short of standard requirements.

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“…The minimum sample size of 456 for food vendors was calculated using the formula for a cross-sectional study (Isara et al, 2010):…”

Section: Sample Size Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria

Okojie

Isah

2019

Int J Consumer Studies

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“…(Ehiri, Morris, & McEwen, 1997;Acikel et al, 2008;Capunzo et al, 2005;Tokuç, Ekuklu, Berbero glu, Bilge, & Dedeler, 2009;Isara, Isah, Lofor, & Ojide, 2010;Egan et al, 2007;Niode, Bruhn and Amarat Simonne., 2011;Baş , Ersun, & Kıvanç, 2006). A major intervention in improving the safety of ready-to-eat food or street food entails training of food vendors on hygienic handling of food (Seaman & Eves, 2010;Cardoso Rde, dos Santos, Silva, 2009;Chukuezi, 2010;WHO, 2006 andFAO/WHO 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will capacity building training interventions given to street food vendors give us safer food?: A cross-sectional study from India

Choudhury¹,

Mahanta

Goswami³

et al. 2011

Food Control

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“…Furthermore, studies from Madagascar and Nigeria found that S . Typhimurium was the predominant serovar detected in RTE foods at a frequency of 44 and 11.1%, respectively (Cardinale et al, ; Isara, Isah, Lofor, & Ojide, ). In Mexico, S .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacteriological quality and the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 in ready‐to‐eat foods from Barbados, WI

Hull-Jackson

Mota‐Meira

Adesiyun

2019

Journal of Food Safety

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The bacteriological quality and safety of ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods in Barbados were assessed in two separate studies conducted between 2014 and 2016. In Study 1, 206 food samples were processed for Salmonella spp. by conventional bacteriological methods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serotyping were used for confirmation. In Study 2, 120 food samples were processed for the total aerobic plate count (TAPC), coliform count, and E. coli count using conventional bacteriological methods. After a 24 hr pre‐enrichment, the food samples were screened for Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 by PCR. To validate the PCR screening method for use after pre‐enrichment, the detection limit was investigated in cooked chicken samples spiked with 10‐fold serial dilutions of an overnight culture of Salmonella Enteritidis. In Study 1, the prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis was 1.5% (3/206). In Study 2, the prevalence of E. coli was 1.7%, and unsatisfactory TAPC (12.5%) and coliform counts (4.2%) were documented. The PCR screen detected DNA extracted from homogenates with as low as 6 CFU/mL, after a 24 hr pre‐enrichment. However, all samples screened negative (0.0%) for Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7. Compared with other developing countries, the prevalence of pathogens in RTE foods in Barbados is low. Practical applications Salmonella and E.coli are major causes of food borne illness globally and antibiotic resistance among these bacteria have presented increasing challenges for clinicians. Studies demonstrate that bacterial contamination in ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods have varied among developed and developing nations. While there are several published reports on the bacterial contamination of RTE foods from the developing Caribbean region, none have originated from Barbados. This study is the first to report a low prevalence of Salmonella, E. coli and other microbial contaminants in RTE foods sold in popular tourist districts in Barbados. This information can be applied to food safety considerations for public health and the tourism industry.

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Food contamination in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria: Implications for food hygiene and safety

Cited by 38 publications

References 6 publications

Food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria

Food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria

Will capacity building training interventions given to street food vendors give us safer food?: A cross-sectional study from India

Bacteriological quality and the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 in ready‐to‐eat foods from Barbados, WI

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