Assessing the hygienic practices of caterers in the school feeding programme of Basic Schools in the Ahafo-Ano North municipality of Ashanti Region

Abstract

Maintaining positive hygiene practices among Caterers is a pre-requisite in sustaining healthy population which the school system is no exception. The study sought to examine food hygiene practices among Caterers of School Feeding Programme within the Ahafo-Ano North Municipality. A sample size of 179 14 Caterers, 50 pupils and 115 teachers were selected from using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Questionnaire, interview guide and observation served as the medium of collecting data from respondents. Descriptive statistics in the form of percentages, mean scores and standard deviation were adopted in analyzing the data. The study found that the common personal hygiene practices by most of the Caterers were proper bathing, cutting of nails short and food were mostly served hot. The results showed that most of the Caterers who handle the food had no formal training. Lack of adequate training for Caterers on best practices towards food and personal hygiene practices have been a worrying trend in the Ahafo-Ano North Municipality. The study also found that Poor hygiene practices by Caterers are attitudinal, poor knowledge, ignorance and non-enforcement from health inspectors. It is imperative for health inspectors to ensure that there are regular visits to various food preparation and serving sites in the various schools benefiting from the School Feeding Programme. It is appropriate for Caterers to ensure that the right attitude and lifestyles are adopted to ensure good practices of food hygiene.