Institute of Public Health, John Jackson bb, 81 000 Podgorica, Montenegro.
Clinical Centar Podgorica, Ljubljanska bb, 81 000 Podgorica, Montenegro.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 5;20(2):997. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20020997.
Foodborne diseases in food facilities are a major public health problem, due mostly to the limited surveillance and educational level of food-handling workers. This study was conducted in 220 food service locations in Montenegro. Participants’ behaviour was assessed by a survey using the specifically designed structured questionnaire, administered before and after the training. To determine the effect of the training on the performance of food handlers, a microbiological analysis of food contact surfaces and food handlers’ hands was also performed. The behaviour of food handlers, viewed as a whole, is unacceptable. There was a statistically significant difference (<0.05) among participants who completed catering school compared with those who did not, regarding hand washing. The type of facility in which participants worked (restaurant, bakery, or pastry shop) revealed statistically significant differences (<0.05) in relation to hand washing, that is, restaurant employees had better habits than those from bakeries and pastry shops. Before the training, participants showed acceptable behaviour regarding hand hygiene, but it was much better after the training. Results of microbiological analyses of food contact surfaces and food handlers’ hands indicated better results after the education, especially with regard to hand swabs. The results of this study indicate the importance of education to improve food handling practices among food handlers, which might also decrease the possibilities for contamination of food.
食源性疾病在食品设施中是一个主要的公共卫生问题，主要是由于食品处理工人的监测和教育水平有限。本研究在黑山的 220 个餐饮服务场所进行。参与者的行为通过使用专门设计的结构化问卷进行调查进行评估，该问卷在培训前后进行。为了确定培训对食品处理人员表现的影响，还对食品接触面和食品处理人员手部的微生物进行了分析。从整体上看，食品处理人员的行为是不可接受的。完成餐饮学校培训的参与者与未完成培训的参与者相比，洗手方面存在统计学差异(<0.05)。参与者工作的设施类型（餐厅、面包店或糕点店）在手卫生方面存在统计学差异(<0.05)，即餐厅员工的习惯比面包店和糕点店的员工要好。培训前，参与者在手卫生方面表现出可接受的行为，但培训后情况要好得多。食品接触面和食品处理人员手部微生物分析的结果表明，教育后结果更好，特别是在手拭子方面。这项研究的结果表明，教育对于改善食品处理人员的食品处理操作非常重要，这也可能降低食品污染的可能性。
