Assessing the knowledge and practices of food safety management systems in restaurant a case study in the Wa municipality

Abstract

In the Wa Municipality, food related diseases are prevalent and empirical examination has indicated that large proportion of these diseases are caused by poor food sanitation and unhygienic handling of foods in the restaurants and other eating outlets in the municipality. To this effects, the aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and practices of food safety management systems in the hospitality industry with regards to restaurant operations in the Wa municipality. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The population consisted of cooks and Restaurant operators in the Wa municipality. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 150 respondents for the study. Structured questionnaire was the main instrument of data collection. Data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The study revealed that 93.4% of the respondents agreed that personal hygiene practices are properly adhered to, in order to improve the quality of the food. Also, 93.3% of the respondents agreed that handwashing signs are posted to enhance consumer safety. Moreover, 93.4% of the respondents agreed that to ensure food safety cooks must wash their hands properly and frequently and appear in good health because of possibility of transfer of food borne diseases. The study also revealed that inadequate regulatory authorities to monitor the food preparation and storage process, inadequate storage facilities, lack of effective training and development programmes regarding food safety issues, poor food sanitation and unhygienic handling of foods in the restaurants were some problems faced by restaurant operators. The study concluded that there is the need to monitor the food preparation and storage processes of the restaurant operators in the Wa Municipality.