Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Meat Handlers in Ghazni, Afghanistan

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Lecturer, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ghazni University, Afghanistan.

2 Lecturer, Department of Agricultural ecnomics and Extension, Faculty of Agricultural, University of Ghazni, Afghanistan.

3 MSc, Department of Agricultural ecnomics and Extension, Faculty of Agricultural, University of Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Abstract

Introduction: Food hygiene is vital in food safety, and meat is essential to food. On the other hand, different types of meat are consumed worldwide. In addition, food hygiene, knowledge, attitude, and practice can directly influence the quality and marketing of food. This study evaluated meat handlers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 meat handlers’ food hygiene in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The data were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire. The respondents were selected randomly, and the data were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software version 24. Results: The majority of respondents were middle-aged, 26–35 years (43.4%), most of them were married (83.3%) and had primary education (43.3%). Most respondents did not have health certificates or participate in food safety-related training (96.7%). Most respondents generally had a high level of food safety knowledge and attitude, with a lower score in meat hygiene practices. Conclusions: Lack of food safety and health training by meat handlers can be a risk for the consumer. Therefore, meat handler health certificates, food hygiene attitudes, and practices should be checked by governmental and non-governmental organizations for the health of consumers and better hygienic practices.

Keywords


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