Amaiach Rachid, El Ouali Lalami Abdelhakim, Fadil Mouhcine, Bouslamti Rabia, Lairini Sanae
Laboratory of Materials, Processes, Catalysis, and Environment, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Higher School of Technology, Post Office Box 2427, Fez, Morocco.
Higher Institute of Nursing and Health Techniques of Fez, Regional Health Directorate, El Ghassani Hospital, 30000, Fez, Morocco.
Heliyon. 2024 Nov 28;10(23):e40739. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40739. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.
Food safety is a significant challenge for countries worldwide due to the growing number of food poisoning outbreaks, particularly in the catering sector, which impacts consumer health and imposes additional economic costs on countries. The role of food handlers in restaurants is crucial for guaranteeing this safety and protecting the health of citizens. This pioneering study in central Morocco aimed to assess food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) among food handlers and to identify key factors influencing adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and effective practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted among food handlers in restaurants in Fez prefecture in central Morocco between July 2021 and January 2022 using a questionnaire survey. The results revealed that the 282 food handlers included in this study exhibited moderate levels of knowledge (65.31 %) and practices (62.91 %), and a high level of attitudes (75.61 %) towards food safety. A moderate positive correlation was observed between knowledge and practices (r = 0.291, p < 0.05), as well as between attitudes and practices (r = 0.327, p < 0.05). The most significant positive correlation was between knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.907, p < 0.05). Moreover, professional experience and age significantly influenced the level of knowledge; the nature of job and work experience influenced attitudes; gender, education level, nature of work, and marital status influenced the level of practices; and training impacted them all. Nevertheless, those surveyed have knowledge gaps, particularly about cross-contamination, personal hygiene, time and temperature control, especially the temperature danger zone (between 40 °F and 140 °F), and thawing. Training programmes that emphasize these dimensions of food safety need to be implemented. The findings of this study, carried out for the first time in Fez, will provide a solid basis for further research. They will also assist responsible authorities in better understanding food safety in Morocco by selectively planning food safety training based on KAPs to prevent food poisoning and protect consumer health.
由于食物中毒事件不断增加，食品安全对世界各国来说都是一项重大挑战，尤其是在餐饮行业，这不仅影响消费者健康，还给各国带来额外的经济成本。餐厅食品从业人员在保障食品安全和保护公民健康方面起着至关重要的作用。这项在摩洛哥中部开展的开创性研究旨在评估食品从业人员的食品安全知识、态度和行为，并确定影响充分知识、积极态度和有效行为的关键因素。2021年7月至2022年1月期间，在摩洛哥中部非斯省的餐厅食品从业人员中开展了一项横断面研究，采用问卷调查的方式。结果显示，本研究纳入的282名食品从业人员对食品安全的知识水平（65.31%）和行为水平（62.91%）中等，态度水平较高（75.61%）。知识与行为之间（r = 0.291，p < 0.05）以及态度与行为之间（r = 0.327，p < 0.05）存在中度正相关。知识与态度之间的正相关性最为显著（r = 0.907，p < 0.05）。此外，专业经验和年龄对知识水平有显著影响；工作性质和工作经验影响态度；性别、教育水平、工作性质和婚姻状况影响行为水平；培训对所有这些方面都有影响。然而，受访者存在知识差距，尤其是在交叉污染、个人卫生、时间和温度控制方面，特别是温度危险区（40°F至140°F之间）以及解冻方面。需要实施强调食品安全这些方面的培训计划。这项首次在非斯开展的研究结果将为进一步研究提供坚实基础。它们还将帮助相关当局通过根据知识、态度和行为有针对性地规划食品安全培训，更好地了解摩洛哥的食品安全情况，以预防食物中毒并保护消费者健康。
