Abstract:
The main objective of the study was to evaluate compliance to food safety and the practice
of good hygiene in selected hospitals in the capital city of Ghana. This study adopted the
case study design. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative research approach.
The population for the study was three hundred and twenty (320). The population consisted
of all hospital food handlers and supervisors in charge of the catering services in inpatient
hospitals in the Trust hospital (Accra), Accra Psychiatric Hospital, 37 Military Hospital,
Korle Bu Teaching hospital (Accra) and Ridge Regional Hospital (Accra). One hundred and
seventy five (175) respondents were randomly selected for the study. The instruments used
in this study were questionnaire and interview guide. The questionnaire data that was
collected was then coded to enable the respondents to be grouped into limited number of
categories. The SPSS version 16 was used to analyse the primary data. The study results
concluded that as a consequence of effective training, the hospital food handlers complied
with good hygiene in hospital catering in Ghana by paying attention to their personal
hygiene because they believed that food safety is very important to consumer’s health. The
respondents used fresh and healthy raw materials in food preparation, they wore caps, masks
and protective gloves during food preparation in order to prevent food-borne illnesses, they
always kept their work area clean for safe food production. Moreover, the study concluded
that the perceived barriers to compliance to food safety operating procedures among food
handlers in the selected hospitals in Accra, Ghana, were inadequate storage facilities to store
the food, lack of effective training and development programmes regarding food safety
issues inadequate authorities to monitor the food preparation and storage process. These
were challenges to compliance to food safety operating procedures among food handlers in
selected hospitals in Ghana. The study recommended that the Management of the hospitals
should organise periodic seminars, workshops and training programmes to equip matrons
University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh
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and cooks with the requisite knowledge regarding food safety issues to enhance the
compliance to food safety standards in hospital catering.
Description:
A DISSERTATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM,
EDUCATION, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES,
UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY DEGREE
IN CATERING AND HOSPITALITY EDUCATION
DECEMBER, 2016