Comparison of food hygiene knowledge levels of collective nutrition system employees by using swap samples taken from food contact surfaces and employees' hands

The aim of this study is to determine the reflection of the theoretical knowledge of food hygiene of a total of 63 personnel working in 2 companies engaged in mass food production in Balıkesir province, on the hygiene and sanitation practices within the business. The study was carried out in two stages. Firstly, the food hygiene knowledge level of the staff was determined by a face-to-face survey. In the second stage, samples were taken from the food production areas of the enterprises and from the workplace uniforms and hands of the personnel using 10 x 5 cm templates using the swap method and microbiological analyzes were performed in the laboratory. 44 (69.8%) female and 19 (30.2%) male personnel participated in the study. According to their status of receiving food hygiene training; 57 (90.5%) declared that they had received hygiene training, and 6 (9.5%) declared that they had not. In general, it was determined that the staff had insufficient knowledge about conditions such as foods with high microbiological risk, food poisoning, bacterial proliferation and ideal bacterial growth temperature. On the other hand, food workers should take a daily shower, wash their hands, use disposable paper towels when drying their hands, and the number of personnel who correctly answer questions about workplace cleanliness should be high; It can be interpreted that the personal hygiene knowledge level of the staff is sufficient. It was determined that more than half of the staff correctly answered questions about safe storage, cooling of cooked meals, cross contamination and service. Looking at the microbiological analysis results, the hands and clothes of the personnel working in Company 2 were found to be Staphylococcus- Micrococcus spp. It was determined that there was a significant difference in terms of number compared to Company 1 (p <0.05). Coliform, E. coli and Staphylococcus- Micrococcus spp. in kitchen environments. could not be detected. E. coli could not be detected both on staff hands and clothes and in the kitchen environment. On the other hand, the number of yeast and mold in the kitchen environment in Company 2 was determined to be significantly higher than in Company 1 (p<0.05). This study showed that staff's food safety knowledge and practices regarding the prevention and control of foodborne diseases were generally inadequate. Health problems and food poisoning caused by unsafe food consumption constitute an important public health problem today. The majority of food-borne poisonings are caused by personnel's personal hygiene and improper food preparation. In this respect, the personal hygiene and hygiene knowledge level of the personnel is of great importance in businesses where mass feeding is carried out. Key words: Food worker, food borne diseases, personnel hygiene, collective catering services.