Food hygiene knowledge and practice of consumers in Poland and in Thailand - A survey

The aim of this study was to assess and compare the knowledge of Polish and Thai consumers regarding the causes of food poisoning and hygienic practices during the preparation of food at home. A questionnaire was prepared on the basis of Codex Alimentarius guidelines. It consisted of 15 questions related to consumers' knowledge of food poisoning causes, and 20 questions related to the consumers' food hygiene practice during the preparation of meals at home. Six hundred questionnaires were collected, 300 in Poland and 300 in Thailand. The results were subjected to statistical analysis. In Thailand, consumers showed significantly lower levels of food hygiene knowledge than in Poland. However, both Polish and Thai consumers had incomplete knowledge of the causes of food poisoning and, in many cases, their food hygiene practice during food preparation and consumption was inaccurate. None of the consumers responded correctly to all the questions concerning food hygiene knowledge. In the case of food hygiene practice, nearly total correct responses were noted only in the cases of washing hands after using the toilet, and the risk of drinking raw water from open air lakes and reservoirs. Some other elements of food hygiene practice were incorrectly stated in both countries, e.g. food defrosting, storage of cooked food at room temperature, and hand washing after handling raw, unwashed foods. Further research on consumers' food hygiene knowledge and practice should be conducted, and better food safety education should be organised independently of country of origin, education level and age. The results of this study could play an important role in the prevention of food poisoning by indicating which areas of consumers’ food hygiene knowledge and food hygiene practice during food preparation at home should be strengthened by educational activities.