Prerequisite Programs for Food Safety among Selected Hotels in the Ga- West Municipality
Loading...
Date
November, 2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study aimed at examining prerequisite programs of food safety among hotels in Accra, using hotels in the Ga-West municipality as well as the effects of gender and educational background on food safety in ten selected hotels. Prerequisite program is defined as essential practices and conditions for food safety required before and during the implementation of a HACCP program. Food safety is the assurance that food will not endanger the health of consumers when it is prepared and / or eaten according to its intended use. It is therefore necessary for people to understand how their behaviors and practices contribute to the safety of food, and how they can decrease the risk of foodborne illness. The research used cross-sectional descriptive survey design and considered 150 hotel staff as respondents using questionnaire survey to collect primary data. The sampled data was quantitatively analyzed using SPSS software on demographics, knowledge and practices of food safety/hygiene as well as environmental sanitation. The study results show that generally, attitudes and behaviors of hotel food-handlers in Ghana were satisfactory in the areas of food safety knowledge, personal hygiene, and cleaning and sanitation procedures, but unsatisfactory in areas of food handling and serving as well as food supply and storage. The men (54 %) dominated in the hotel food preparation in this study. There were no obvious differences between men and women with regards to their food safety knowledge, behaviors and attitudes. However, respondents with higher educational background were more knowledgeable on issues of food safety and hygiene than those with lower educational background. Food safety education and training for food-handlers, targeting specifically those with lower levels of education, should be strengthened to complement other interventions that pursue the enhancement of food safety systems in Ghana.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Science, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Food Quality Management.