Food Handlers’ Safety Knowledge and Its Impact on Personal Hygiene and Disease Control Practices

Building on the knowledge, attitude and practice model, this thesis investigated the role of food handlers in adherence to hygienic-sanitary standards for food safety. Specifically, using data gathered from food handlers in restaurants, hotels and hospitals, the study examined the effect of food handlers’ safety knowledge on their hygienic-sanitary practices of personal hygiene, kitchen hygiene and disease control measures. It also checked the mediating role of food handlers’ attitudes in the causal relationship between food safety knowledge and the hygienic-sanitary practices of food handlers. Empirical findings supported the hypothesized assumptions that food safety knowledge positively impacts food handler’s attitudes and attitudes in turn significantly contributes to the adherence to hygienic-sanitary conditions for food safety. Further, other than the indirect effect of handler’s attitude on food safety knowledge and personal hygiene, food handlers’ attitude partially mediates the effect of knowledge on kitchen hygiene and disease control measure. Implications for managers, government and academicians were also discussed. Keywords: Food safety knowledge, personal hygiene, kitchen hygiene, hospitality, Nigeria