Cross-Sectional Investigation of the Awareness and Practices of Food Safety among Food Service Catering Staff in Riyadh City Hospitals during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

This study examines food safety awareness and practices among handlers in the food service sector at Riyadh City hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three hundred and fifteen (315) food service workers completed the entire questionnaire from five hospitals in Riyadh City between December 2020 and February 2021. The contributor’s respondents’ three-part questionnaire was divided according to general characteristics, food safety awareness, and food safety practices. The findings show that food handlers demonstrated good knowledge, techniques, and attitudes regarding maintaining food quality and ensuring food safety. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between food safety awareness and food safety practices was observed. Nevertheless, the correlation between the food handler’s knowledge and safe food handling was negative. In general, our findings revealed the significance of education and the regular training of food service staff to improve learning and ensure better and safer food-handling practices, which could contribute to applying food safety practices in hospitals.