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FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES AMONG FOOD VENDORS IN BAHAWAL VICTORIA HOSPITAL BAHAWALPUR

Tahira Imam, Humaira Imam, Hafiz Muhammad Irfan

Introduction: Food safety and hygiene are essential in promoting and preserving the health of consumers, as food borne disease are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality globally. Unhygienic food has been implicated in the outbreak of several nutrition related illness with factors such as poor food handling practices of food vendors as a major culprit. Later this study was conducted to assess the level of food safety knowledge and practices among food vendors of Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of food safety knowledge and practices among street food vendors in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Materials and methods: Study Design: Observational descriptive cross-sectional study design. Study Setting: Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Duration: The total duration of study was of two months from April 2019 to May 2019. Sample size: According to the available resources, it was decided to take the sample of 100 street food vendors. Sampling technique: Non-probability convenience sampling technique used. Ethical Issue: Ethical committee approval topic of study was submitted to the local ethical committee, and its approval was taken before start of the study. Street food vendors in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, selling food items. Street food vendors were not willing to participate. Data collection: After obtaining the informed consent, data was collected with the help of performed and pretested questionnaire through face to face interview, according to inclusion criteria till completion of required sample size. Questionnaire comprised of two sections. Section 1 included data regarding demographic profile of respondents. Section-2 included questions about food safety knowledge and practices of street food vendors. Questionnaire was translated into Urdu and reversed back translated into English for better comprehension of respondents. Data Analysis: Data were coded and analyzed manually. Frequency and percentages were presented in the form, of tables and graphs. The results were finally analyzed statistically as well to find out their statistical significance by applying the suitable test of significance. Results: Our study conducted on 100 street food vendors in Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur, showed that out of the total study street food vendors, 15% had poor knowledge 85% had good knowledge regarding food safety. While majority of them (76%) were observing good food safety practices. Conclusion: On the basis of our study, it was concluded that most of street food vendors had good knowledge and good practices regarding hygienic handling of food. Key words: Food safety; knowledge; practices; street food vendors.

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