Assessment of food safety knowledge and practices among female canteen food handlers: a cross-sectional study.

Summary

This cross-sectional study evaluated food safety knowledge and practices among 118 female food handlers at a university canteen in Saudi Arabia using a structured questionnaire assessing four domains of food safety competency. While workers demonstrated relatively strong knowledge in health and hygiene practices (85.2%), performance was notably weaker in cleaning and disinfection (72.8%), suggesting targeted training gaps. The authors recommend structured training programmes focusing on sanitation and temperature control, supported by routine supervision and longitudinal evaluation.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia at a women's-only university setting, limiting direct applicability to United Kingdom food service contexts, which operate under different regulatory frameworks (Food Standards Agency standards), workforce demographics, and institutional settings. However, the assessment methodology and identified knowledge gaps in sanitation practices may inform canteen worker training programme design in UK universities, particularly regarding evaluation of baseline competency before intervention.

Key measures

Food safety awareness questionnaire scores (overall mean 42.15); knowledge-based questions (9.69/12, 80.8%); health and personal hygiene (9.37/11, 85.2%); cleaning and disinfection (2.91/4, 72.8%); attitudes and temperature control (20.18/27, 74.7%); correlation analysis between domains

Outcomes reported

The study assessed food safety knowledge and practices among 118 female canteen workers using a questionnaire measuring four domains: knowledge-based questions, health and personal hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, and attitudes and temperature control. Mean scores were reported for each domain, with statistically significant positive correlations noted among all four assessed domains.

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