Assessing the food safety practices among homemakers in Tema Newtown, a suburb of Tema in the Greater Accra region

Abstract

This study was conducted in Tema Newtown, a suburb of Tema Metropolis in Ghana to investigate the food safety practices and hygiene among homemakers. The study sought to assess the knowledge level of homemakers in food safety and hygiene, investigate the practices of homemakers in handling food and identify the measures that can lead to improved food safety practices. The study used quantitative descriptive survey and selected 70 homemakers using systematic random sampling. Data collection was done using questionnaire which was later fed into SPSS software for analysis. The study revealed that with an overall mean value of 3.28, respondents were sufficiently knowledgeable in food safety and hygiene. With the exception of three items, that is, experiencing food borne illness, knowledge of potentially dangerous nature of foodborne illness and receiving education on food safety and hygiene, respondents showed appreciable knowledge of food safety and hygiene. Further, it was found that respondents observed good personal and kitchen hygiene by washing utensils, working surfaces before and after cooking and separating raw food from ready to eat food during storage. It was seen however that, 84.3% of respondents used the same cutting board for both raw and cooked food, 72.8% left cooked food at room temperature for more than 4 hours and 77% cooked or handled food during illness. In general, the study concludes that the overall food safety practices of homemakers was fairly below accepted standards. The study recommends that stakeholders invest in food safety education for homemakers since they are the ‘last line’ of defense against food borne diseases. Homemakers should also take personal responsibility for the food they prepare in their household and pay attention to practices like proper hand washing with soap under running water and cooking to the right temperature.