Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

Food safety knowledge of food handlers working in hotel kitchens in Turkey

Year 2020, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 67 - 89, 01.04.2020
https://doi.org/10.3153/FH20009

Abstract

This study was aimed to examine the food safety
knowledge of food handlers in hotels’ kitchen, to determine existing knowledge
gaps in food safety, and to examine relationship between food safety knowledge
and some sample characteristics such as gender, age, education level, professional
experience, and

past attendance to food safety training course. A total of 378 food handlers working in hotel kitchens, located at
six different cities in Turkey, participated in the cross-sectional study. The food safety knowledge score of participants
was average with 53.70%. Knowledge scores related the different food safety
aspects including personal hygiene (53.60%), food hygiene (53.91%), cross
contamination (61.13%), health problems that would affect food safety (52.14%),
symptoms of foodborne illnesses (52.00%), HACCP (51.00%) and food allergy
(50.89%) were found average level. The most striking result of this study is
that although the number of employees receiving food safety training is
considerably high (82.3%), the food safety knowledge score was found less than
expected. When viewed from this aspect, this work is remarkable about examining
into content and adequacy of food safety training in Turkey.

Thanks

Authors are thankful for the hotel kitchen staff who participated in this research study and also for Buğra Soykut for editing the article. This study was a part of a Master Thesis of Taner Tuncer (Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts).

References

  • Ajala, A.R., Cruz, A.G., Faria, J.A., Walter, E.H., Granato, D., Sant, A.S. (2010). Food allergens: Knowledge and practices of food handlers in restaurants. Food Control, 21(10), 1318-1321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.04.002
  • Arıkan, R. (2004). Araştırma teknikleri ve rapor hazırlama. Ankara: Asil Publishing. ISBN: 9789758784356
  • Assefa, T., Tasew, H., Wondafrash, B., Beker, J. (2015). Community medicine and health education assessment of bacterial hand contamination and associated factors among food handlers working in the student cafeterias of Jimma. Journal of Community Medicine and Health Education, 5(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0711.1000345
  • Baser, F., Ture, H., Abubakirova, A., Sanlier, N., Cil, B. (2017). Structural modeling of the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior of hotel staff in Turkey. Food Control, 73, 438-444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.08.032
  • Baş, M., Ersun, A.Ş., Kıvanç, G. (2006). The evaluation of food hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food handlers' in food businesses in Turkey. Food Control, 17(4), 317-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.11.006
  • Bolton, D.J., Meally, A., Blair, I.S., McDowell, D.A., Cowan, C. (2008). Food safety knowledge of head chefs and catering managers in Ireland. Food Control, 19(3), 291-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.04.006
  • Cape, W., Marais, M., Conradie, N., Labadarios, D. (2007). Small and micro enterprises-aspects of knowledge, attitudes and practices of managers' and food handlers' knowledge of food safety in the proximity of Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Western Cape. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20(2), 50-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2007.11734124
  • Çakıroğlu, F.P., Uçar, A. (2008). Employees' perception of hygiene in the catering industry in Ankara (Turkey). Food Control, 19(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.01.001
  • Choi, J. H., Rajagopal, L. (2013). Food allergy knowledge, attitudes, practices, and training of foodservice workers at a university foodservice operation in the Midwestern United States. Food Control, 31(2), 474-481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.10.023
  • CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the USA), (2018). Foodborne Illnesses and Germs, available at: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html/ (accessed 12 December 2018).
  • DeBess, E.E., Pippert, E., Angulo, F.J., Cieslak, P.R. (2009). Food handler assessment in Oregon. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 6(3), 329-335. https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2008.0102
  • Doménech-Sánchez, A., Laso, E., Pérez, M.J., Berrocal, C.I. (2011). Microbiological levels of randomly selected food contact surfaces in hotels located in Spain during 2007-2009. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 8(9), 1025-1029. https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2011.0856
  • Dupuis, R., Meisel, Z., Grande, D., Strupp, E., Kounaves, S., Graves, A., Frasso, R., Cannuscio, C.C. (2016). Food allergy management among restaurant workers in a large US city. Food Control, 63, 147-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.11.026
  • EAACI (The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) (2017). available at: https://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/research/allergy_statistics.02.11.html#tophttps://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/research/allergy_statistics.02.11.html#top/ (access 12 September 2018).
  • Egan, M.B., Raats, M.M., Grubb, S.M., Eves, A., Lumbers, M.L., Dean, M.S., Adams, M.R. (2007). A review of food safety and food hygiene training studies in the commercial sector. Food Control, 18(10), 1180-1190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2006.08.001
  • ECDC (European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) (2017). EU summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5077
  • FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) (2017). Facts and statistics, available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/life-with-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics (access 12 July 2018).
  • Giritlioglu, I., Batman, O., Tetik, N. (2011). The knowledge and practice of food safety and hygiene of cookery students in Turkey. Food Control, 22(6), 838-842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.09.016
  • Gomes-Neves, E., Araújo, A.C., Ramos, E., Cardoso, C.S. (2007). Food handling: Comparative analysis of general knowledge and practice in three relevant groups in Portugal. Food Control, 18(6), 707-712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2006.03.005
  • Jianu, C., Chiş, C. (2012). Study on the hygiene knowledge of food handlers working in small and medium-sized companies in western Romania. Food Control, 26(1), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.01.023
  • Kunadu, A.P.H., Ofosu, D.B., Aboagye, E., Tano-Debrah, K. (2016). Food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of food handlers in institutional foodservice in Accra, Ghana. Food Control, 69, 324-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.05.011
  • Martins, R.B., Hogg, T., Otero, J.G. (2012). Food handlers' knowledge on food hygiene: The case of a catering company in Portugal. Food Control, 23(1), 184-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.07.008
  • Mullan, B.A., Wong, C. Kothe, E.J. (2013). Predicting adolescents' safe food handling using an extended theory of planned behavior. Food Control, 31(2), 454-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.10.027
  • Nee, S.O., Sani, N.A. (2011). Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among food handlers at residential colleges and canteen regarding food safety. Sains Malaysiana, 40(4), 403-410.
  • Osaili, T.M., Al-Nabulsi, A.A., Krasneh, H.D.A. (2018). Food safety knowledge among foodservice staff at the universities in Jordan. Food Control, 89, 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.02.011
  • Osaili, T.M., Obeidat, BA., Hajeer, W.A., Al-Nabulsi, A.A. (2017). Food safety knowledge among food service staff in hospitals in Jordan. Food Control, 78, 279-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2017.02.057
  • Osaili, T.M., Obeidat, B.A., Jamous, D.O.A., Bawadi, H.A. (2011). Food safety knowledge and practices among college female students in north of Jordan. Food Control, 22(2), 269-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.07.009
  • Sanlier, N., Cömert, M., Durlu‐Özkaya, F. (2010). Hygiene perception: Condition of hotel kitchen staffs in Ankara, Turkey. Journal of Food Safety, 30(2), 415-431. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2010.00216.x
  • Santos, J.R.A. (1999). Cronbach's alpha: A tool for assessing the reliability of scales. Journal of Extension, 37(2), 1-5.
  • Shafie, A.A., Azman, A.W. (2015). Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of food allergies among food handlers in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Public Health, 129(9), 1278-1284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2015.03.016
  • Smigic, N., Djekic, I., Martins, M.L., Rocha, A., Sidiropoulou, N., Kalogianni, E.P. (2016). The level of food safety knowledge in food establishments in three European countries. Food Control, 63, 187-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.11.017
  • Soares, L.S., Almeida, R.C., Cerqueira, E.S., Carvalho, J.S., Nunes, I.L. (2012). Knowledge, attitudes and practices in food safety and the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci on hands of food handlers in the schools of Camaçari, Brazil. Food Control, 27(1), 206-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.03.016
  • Tan, S.L., Bakar, F.A., Karim, M.SA., Lee, H.Y., Mahyudin, N.A. (2013). Hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices among food handlers at primary schools in Hulu Langat district, Selangor (Malaysia). Food Control, 34(2), 428-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.04.045
  • Tokuç, B., Ekuklu, G., Berberoğlu, U., Bilge, E., Dedeler, H. (2009). Knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of food service staff regarding food hygiene in Edirne, Turkey. Food Control, 20(6), 565-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2008.08.013
  • Todd, E.C., Greig, J.D., Bartleson, C.A., Michaels, B.S. (2007). Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 2. Description of outbreaks by size, severity, and settings. Journal of Food Protection, 70(8), 1975-1993.https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-70.8.1975
  • Todd, E.C., Greig, J.D., Bartleson, C.A., Michaels, B.S. (2008). Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 5. Sources of contamination and pathogen excretion from infected persons. Journal of Food Protection, 71(12), 2582-2595. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-71.12.2582
  • Ulusoy, B., Çolakoğlu, N. (2015). A survey on determination of HACCP knowledge of food handlers in Istanbul food businesses. Acta Alimentaria, 44(3), 342-348. https://doi.org/10.1556/AAlim.2014.0011
  • USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture), (2017). Danger Zone (40°F-140°F), available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Danger_Zone.pdf (access 12 October 2018).
  • Walker, E., Pritchard, C., Forsythe, S. (2003). Food handlers' hygiene knowledge in small food businesses. Food Control, 14(5), 339-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(02)00101-9
  • Webb, M., Morancie, A. (2015). Food safety knowledge of foodservice workers at a university campus by education level, experience, and food safety training. Food Control, 50, 259-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.09.002
Year 2020, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 67 - 89, 01.04.2020
https://doi.org/10.3153/FH20009

Abstract

References

  • Ajala, A.R., Cruz, A.G., Faria, J.A., Walter, E.H., Granato, D., Sant, A.S. (2010). Food allergens: Knowledge and practices of food handlers in restaurants. Food Control, 21(10), 1318-1321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.04.002
  • Arıkan, R. (2004). Araştırma teknikleri ve rapor hazırlama. Ankara: Asil Publishing. ISBN: 9789758784356
  • Assefa, T., Tasew, H., Wondafrash, B., Beker, J. (2015). Community medicine and health education assessment of bacterial hand contamination and associated factors among food handlers working in the student cafeterias of Jimma. Journal of Community Medicine and Health Education, 5(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0711.1000345
  • Baser, F., Ture, H., Abubakirova, A., Sanlier, N., Cil, B. (2017). Structural modeling of the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior of hotel staff in Turkey. Food Control, 73, 438-444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.08.032
  • Baş, M., Ersun, A.Ş., Kıvanç, G. (2006). The evaluation of food hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food handlers' in food businesses in Turkey. Food Control, 17(4), 317-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.11.006
  • Bolton, D.J., Meally, A., Blair, I.S., McDowell, D.A., Cowan, C. (2008). Food safety knowledge of head chefs and catering managers in Ireland. Food Control, 19(3), 291-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.04.006
  • Cape, W., Marais, M., Conradie, N., Labadarios, D. (2007). Small and micro enterprises-aspects of knowledge, attitudes and practices of managers' and food handlers' knowledge of food safety in the proximity of Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Western Cape. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20(2), 50-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2007.11734124
  • Çakıroğlu, F.P., Uçar, A. (2008). Employees' perception of hygiene in the catering industry in Ankara (Turkey). Food Control, 19(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.01.001
  • Choi, J. H., Rajagopal, L. (2013). Food allergy knowledge, attitudes, practices, and training of foodservice workers at a university foodservice operation in the Midwestern United States. Food Control, 31(2), 474-481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.10.023
  • CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the USA), (2018). Foodborne Illnesses and Germs, available at: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html/ (accessed 12 December 2018).
  • DeBess, E.E., Pippert, E., Angulo, F.J., Cieslak, P.R. (2009). Food handler assessment in Oregon. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 6(3), 329-335. https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2008.0102
  • Doménech-Sánchez, A., Laso, E., Pérez, M.J., Berrocal, C.I. (2011). Microbiological levels of randomly selected food contact surfaces in hotels located in Spain during 2007-2009. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 8(9), 1025-1029. https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2011.0856
  • Dupuis, R., Meisel, Z., Grande, D., Strupp, E., Kounaves, S., Graves, A., Frasso, R., Cannuscio, C.C. (2016). Food allergy management among restaurant workers in a large US city. Food Control, 63, 147-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.11.026
  • EAACI (The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) (2017). available at: https://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/research/allergy_statistics.02.11.html#tophttps://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/research/allergy_statistics.02.11.html#top/ (access 12 September 2018).
  • Egan, M.B., Raats, M.M., Grubb, S.M., Eves, A., Lumbers, M.L., Dean, M.S., Adams, M.R. (2007). A review of food safety and food hygiene training studies in the commercial sector. Food Control, 18(10), 1180-1190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2006.08.001
  • ECDC (European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) (2017). EU summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5077
  • FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) (2017). Facts and statistics, available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/life-with-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics (access 12 July 2018).
  • Giritlioglu, I., Batman, O., Tetik, N. (2011). The knowledge and practice of food safety and hygiene of cookery students in Turkey. Food Control, 22(6), 838-842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.09.016
  • Gomes-Neves, E., Araújo, A.C., Ramos, E., Cardoso, C.S. (2007). Food handling: Comparative analysis of general knowledge and practice in three relevant groups in Portugal. Food Control, 18(6), 707-712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2006.03.005
  • Jianu, C., Chiş, C. (2012). Study on the hygiene knowledge of food handlers working in small and medium-sized companies in western Romania. Food Control, 26(1), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.01.023
  • Kunadu, A.P.H., Ofosu, D.B., Aboagye, E., Tano-Debrah, K. (2016). Food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of food handlers in institutional foodservice in Accra, Ghana. Food Control, 69, 324-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.05.011
  • Martins, R.B., Hogg, T., Otero, J.G. (2012). Food handlers' knowledge on food hygiene: The case of a catering company in Portugal. Food Control, 23(1), 184-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.07.008
  • Mullan, B.A., Wong, C. Kothe, E.J. (2013). Predicting adolescents' safe food handling using an extended theory of planned behavior. Food Control, 31(2), 454-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.10.027
  • Nee, S.O., Sani, N.A. (2011). Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among food handlers at residential colleges and canteen regarding food safety. Sains Malaysiana, 40(4), 403-410.
  • Osaili, T.M., Al-Nabulsi, A.A., Krasneh, H.D.A. (2018). Food safety knowledge among foodservice staff at the universities in Jordan. Food Control, 89, 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.02.011
  • Osaili, T.M., Obeidat, BA., Hajeer, W.A., Al-Nabulsi, A.A. (2017). Food safety knowledge among food service staff in hospitals in Jordan. Food Control, 78, 279-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2017.02.057
  • Osaili, T.M., Obeidat, B.A., Jamous, D.O.A., Bawadi, H.A. (2011). Food safety knowledge and practices among college female students in north of Jordan. Food Control, 22(2), 269-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.07.009
  • Sanlier, N., Cömert, M., Durlu‐Özkaya, F. (2010). Hygiene perception: Condition of hotel kitchen staffs in Ankara, Turkey. Journal of Food Safety, 30(2), 415-431. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2010.00216.x
  • Santos, J.R.A. (1999). Cronbach's alpha: A tool for assessing the reliability of scales. Journal of Extension, 37(2), 1-5.
  • Shafie, A.A., Azman, A.W. (2015). Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of food allergies among food handlers in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Public Health, 129(9), 1278-1284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2015.03.016
  • Smigic, N., Djekic, I., Martins, M.L., Rocha, A., Sidiropoulou, N., Kalogianni, E.P. (2016). The level of food safety knowledge in food establishments in three European countries. Food Control, 63, 187-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.11.017
  • Soares, L.S., Almeida, R.C., Cerqueira, E.S., Carvalho, J.S., Nunes, I.L. (2012). Knowledge, attitudes and practices in food safety and the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci on hands of food handlers in the schools of Camaçari, Brazil. Food Control, 27(1), 206-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.03.016
  • Tan, S.L., Bakar, F.A., Karim, M.SA., Lee, H.Y., Mahyudin, N.A. (2013). Hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices among food handlers at primary schools in Hulu Langat district, Selangor (Malaysia). Food Control, 34(2), 428-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.04.045
  • Tokuç, B., Ekuklu, G., Berberoğlu, U., Bilge, E., Dedeler, H. (2009). Knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of food service staff regarding food hygiene in Edirne, Turkey. Food Control, 20(6), 565-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2008.08.013
  • Todd, E.C., Greig, J.D., Bartleson, C.A., Michaels, B.S. (2007). Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 2. Description of outbreaks by size, severity, and settings. Journal of Food Protection, 70(8), 1975-1993.https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-70.8.1975
  • Todd, E.C., Greig, J.D., Bartleson, C.A., Michaels, B.S. (2008). Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 5. Sources of contamination and pathogen excretion from infected persons. Journal of Food Protection, 71(12), 2582-2595. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-71.12.2582
  • Ulusoy, B., Çolakoğlu, N. (2015). A survey on determination of HACCP knowledge of food handlers in Istanbul food businesses. Acta Alimentaria, 44(3), 342-348. https://doi.org/10.1556/AAlim.2014.0011
  • USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture), (2017). Danger Zone (40°F-140°F), available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Danger_Zone.pdf (access 12 October 2018).
  • Walker, E., Pritchard, C., Forsythe, S. (2003). Food handlers' hygiene knowledge in small food businesses. Food Control, 14(5), 339-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(02)00101-9
  • Webb, M., Morancie, A. (2015). Food safety knowledge of foodservice workers at a university campus by education level, experience, and food safety training. Food Control, 50, 259-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.09.002
There are 40 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Food Engineering
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Taner Tuncer 0000-0002-9405-0361

Aylin Akoğlu 0000-0002-0136-4928

Publication Date April 1, 2020
Submission Date September 6, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2020Volume: 6 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Tuncer, T., & Akoğlu, A. (2020). Food safety knowledge of food handlers working in hotel kitchens in Turkey. Food and Health, 6(2), 67-89. https://doi.org/10.3153/FH20009

16339

Journal is licensed under a

CreativeCommons Attribtion-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence  14627 1331027042
Diamond Open Access refers to a scholarly publication model in which journals and platforms do not charge fees to either authors or readers.

Open Access Statement:

This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Archiving Policy:

27222

Archiving is done according to ULAKBİM "DergiPark" publication policy (LOCKSS).