A STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE & PRACTICE ON FOOD SAFETY AMONG THE FOOD HANDLERS IN THE RESTAURANTS OF KALYANI, DISTRICT: NADIA

The incidence of wrong food handling is growing exponentially and to combat it proper knowledge, attitude and practices should be followed in different restaurants. Food Handlers have an important role in transmitting pathogens from raw materials to cooked ones.This study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of 86 food handlers on a pretested, predesigned schedule where the information was collected regarding their Knowledge and Attitude and also a checklist was prepared to assess the practice by observation. The main focus of the analysis was put on the practices of all the subjected food handlers which was observed face to face by visiting different restaurants. The schedule included questions about baseline information identification, knowledge based questions, and Attitude based questions, also interviewing practices. The data were collected through face to face interview, using a schedule form. In conclusion, the result of the present study highlights the urgent need of the food safety education training system to include regular workshops and training sessions. All of the participants in this study were males, which is an indication that food handling in a restaurant is predominantly a job for men. Most of the interviewed food handlers attained primary education level while 5.8% of the respondents were seen completed their university studies. Many participants were unaware of the critical areas of food safety and sanitation and this is highly indicative of the tendency to be less cautious when handling food.