Evaluation of Food Safety Knowledge Among Food Handlers.

This study aimed to evaluate food handlers' knowledge regarding personal hygiene and food safety. A total of 200 food handlers from 30 independent food businesses in Kars, Turkey has been questioned in this survey. One (1) point was given for each correct response and zero (0) point for the false and "Do not know" answers. The questionnaires having 29 points were scored with 5. The knowledge of the respondents who got =3 was considered as adequate. Most of the participants were male (66.5%) and mainly under the age of 24 (42.5%) or between the age of 25-34 (33.5%). Nearly half of the participants (46.5%) had high school education (11 years). Only 25% of the workers who were mainly cooks declared that they had attended to a food safety training course. Seventy six percent of the respondents were waitress/waiter. Almost half (43%) of the food handlers got =2.9 (out of 5 points) point which indicated that they did not have adequate knowledge about personal hygiene and food safety. Male workers were more successful at the questionnaire while age had not a significant effect. Personal hygiene, cross-contamination, thawing frozen meat and reheating of foods were the sections in which the respondents gave false answers frequently. The knowledge of participants neither about food safety nor personal hygiene is enough to prepare or serve safe food. But it was observed that education level and attending training courses had a positive effect on responding questions correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]