Food Safety Culture Among Food Handlers in Slovenia

The study aimed to investigate the extent to which food handlers´ perceptions of food safety culture differs based on their demographic characteristics. A cross-sectional paper-based survey was conducted among food handlers in catering establishments in Slovenia. Data were collected using validated question¬naires. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS soft¬ware. The factors of food safety culture with the highest assessed level of agreement were self-satisfaction and environment support, whereas work pressure and risk judgment exhibited the lowest level of agreement. There were statistically significant differences between food handlers' participation in food safety training courses entitled “Hygiene minimum” and food safety culture factors: management, communication and work pressure. An important statistically significant difference was observed between the number of years spent at the current workplace and the environ¬ment support. Those who attended the course entitled “Hygiene mini¬mum“ show a higher level of agreement for the management factor (M = 5.79, SD = 0.81) compared with those who did not attend this kind of training (M = 5.41, SD = 0.72). The study highlighted the weaknesses of food safety culture in catering establishments and propose improvements in order to enhance food safe¬ty culture. We established how demographic characteristics of the respondents affect the shaping of food safety culture. The questionnaire proved to be an effective tool in the assessment of food safety culture among food handlers in catering establishments in Slovenia. Our findings could assist food business operators in their efforts to develop strategies that will more effectively contribute to food safety culture.