Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Handlers along the Rice Value Chain of Uganda
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Food Industry
Abstract
Food handlers play a critical role in controlling food contamination from “farm to fork”.
Therefore, inadequate knowledge, poor attitudes and improper practices by food handlers
pose a serious challenge to food safety. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge,
attitudes, and practices (KAP) of food handlers along the rice value chain of Uganda with the
view of understanding factors that influence contamination of rice with aflatoxins, heavy
metals and pesticides. A cross-sectional study, using a structured questionnaire through
face-to-face interviews with 252 respondents was conducted in Butaleja, Gulu, Hoima,
Kampala, Mutukula, Mbale and Mbarara districts. Categorical data was expressed as
frequencies and percentages. The unique predictors of the KAP of rice handlers were defined
using multivariate linear regression analysis. About 221 (87.7%) food handlers knew about
the occurrence and causes of aflatoxins contamination in rice. Changes in colour (81.7%) and
a musty smell (82.9%) were perceived to indicate the presence of aflatoxins. The main preand
post-harvest aflatoxin preventative practices identified were growing resistant rice
varieties (82.9%) and proper drying (79.8%). Food handlers were generally not
knowledgeable (73.4%) about heavy metal contamination in rice. All food handlers used
pesticides; however, 68.3% had never received formal training in pesticide use. Majority
(86.1%) of food handlers were aware of the harmful effects of pesticides but on the contrary,
this did not significantly change their practices towards safe pesticide use. At multivariate
level, education was the unique predictor for aflatoxins and heavy metal contamination.
Pesticide contamination was mainly influenced by district of residence. Therefore,
appropriate educational programs organized to train food handlers can promote food safety in
the rice value chain of Uganda. Interventions by regulatory agencies to strengthen
enforcement of laws related to contaminants through regular surveillance at the farm and
retail outlets are necessary to ensure compliance by food handlers.
Description
Keywords
Rice Value Chain, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, Food handlers, Uganda
Citation
Namubiru, L. L., Male, D., Mukisa, I. M., & Byaruhanga, Y. B. (2022). Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Handlers along the Rice Value Chain of Uganda. Journal of Food Industry, 6(1), 131-131. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jfi.v6i1.19431