Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food vendors participating in Nigeria’s school feeding program

Abstract

This study aimed to measure the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among food vendors engaged in Nigeria’s ongoing Home-grown School Feeding Program. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in face-to-face interviews with 240 food vendors from 3 states in northeast Nigeria involved in the school feeding program using a structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression results revealed that increased education and access to information through radio, television, and food inspection institutions increased food safety knowledge. Food safety attitudes score increased with more years of vending experience and accessing food safety information via radio, food inspection institutions, and the Internet. An increase in household size and food safety information from friends and colleagues negatively affected food safety attitude scores. As a result, we emphasize the need for dissemination of improved food safety information via radio, television and food safety inspection institutes. Food vendors in the SFP should be selected after passing a food safety training and gaining food handling experience. Higher education should be a priority criterion in the hiring process.

Food safety knowledge and attitudes among fish vendors in informal markets in Ilorin, Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

“…A positive attitude is essential for food vendors to transmit knowledge into good practices [30,31,36]. However, some earlier studies [37][38][39] have also found similar results that practices and attitudes are related and different from knowledge, hence a worker with a good attitude would have better practice, but good knowledge is not necessarily translated to satisfactory practice. Poor level of attitude and practice could be attributed to the negligence and awareness of standard safety practices.…”