ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Food safety practices are integral to achieving several of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, economic growth, and sustainable consumption. Ensuring the safety of food not only protects public health but also supports sustainable economic development by reducing food waste and minimizing the impact of foodborne diseases. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to food safety among Semester 1 Hospitality students at Sungai Petani Community College. A quantitative survey was conducted with 85 participants to gauge their understanding of various food safety practices, including food storage, hygiene, and preparation. Data analysis revealed that participants had a strong awareness of food safety, with mean scores for most survey statements exceeding 4 on a 5-point Likert scale. The students showed particularly high levels of agreement on the importance of safe food storage (Mean: 4.68, Standard Deviation: 0.493) and the necessity of handwashing before handling food (Mean: 4.64, Standard Deviation: 0.531). Moderate agreement was observed for practices such as preparing food too early (Mean: 3.85, Standard Deviation: 0.716) and reheating food (Mean: 3.84, Standard Deviation: 0.738), suggesting some variability in opinions. Overall, the level of food safety knowledge was high, with a mean score of 4.207 (Standard Deviation: 0.416), indicating a solid understanding of essential food safety measures. This study highlights the crucial role of food safety practices in preventing foodborne diseases and underscores the need for continuous food safety education in hospitality training programs. Further research is recommended to assess the long-term effectiveness of existing food safety training initiatives and ensure that the theoretical knowledge is consistently applied in practice.
Ale, S., Aryal, S., & Pudasaini, A. (2023). Hospitality business’ attention to food safety and hygiene. International Journal of Atharva, 1(1), 96-107. doi:10.3126/ija.v1i1.58847
Barrett, C. B. (2021). Overcoming global food security challenges through science and solidarity. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 103, 422-447. doi:10.1111/ajae.12160
Batista, S. A., Ginani, V. C., Stedefeldt, E., Nakano, E. Y., Botelho, R. B. A. (2023). Reproducibility and validity of a self-administered food safety assessment tool on children and adolescent’s risk perception, knowledge, and practices. Nutrients, 15(1), 213-213. doi:10.3390/nu15010213
Bolek, S. (2020). Consumer knowledge, attitudes, and judgments about food safety: A consumer analysis. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 102, 242-248. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2020.03.009
Chen, Y., & Chen, Y. (2023). Economic growth, income inequality and food safety risk. Foods, 12(16), 3066. doi:10.3390/foods12163066
Cunha, D. (2021). Improving food safety practices in the foodservice industry. Current Opinion in Food Science, 42, 127-133. doi:10.1016/J.COFS.2021.05.010
Harun, H. N. (2023, May 31). Health Ministry takes action on all reports of cleanliness, food safety. New Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/05/915296/health-ministry-takes-action-all-reports-cleanliness-food-safety
Islam, M. N., Hassan, H. F., Amin, M. B., Madilo, F. K., Rahman, M. A., Haque, M. R., Aktarujjaman, M., Farjana, N., & Roy, N. (2022). Food safety and handling knowledge and practices among university students of Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. Heliyon, 8(12), e11987. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11987
Shiau, W. C., Ismail, F., Ahmad, M. F., Ramlan, R., Ng, L. T. (2022). Assessing food safety and food hygiene practices among tertiary students. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2644(1), 030042. doi:10.1063/5.0104751
Silva, A., Junqueira, L., Truninger, M., Delicado, A., Csenki, E., Fehér, Á., Ózsvári, L., & Szakos, D. (2023). Assessing learning about food safety using Personal Meaning Maps. Health Education Journal, 82(6), 664-679. doi:10.1177/00178969231182103
Sofea, N. A., Albattat, A., Yahya, A, S. (2022). The impact of food safety awareness, knowledge and attitude on consumer safety practices. Special Education, 2(43), 1239-1259.
Song Jing, L., Hassan, Z., & Regina, G. (2021). Food borne disease and the lifestyles of the students and food handlers in rural schools: A preliminary observation. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(9), 430-436. doi:10.47405/mjssh.v6i9.956
Suyitno, S., Suryani, D., & Jannah, A. A. (2024). Determinants of food safety practices in food handlers: A literature review. Promotor: Jurnal Mahasiswa Kesehatan Masyarakat, 7(3), 414-421. doi:10.32832/pro.v7i3.706
Tamiru, S., Bidira, K., Moges, T., Dugasa, M., Amsalu, B., & Gezimu, W. (2022). Food safety practice and its associated factors among food handlers in food establishments of Mettu and Bedelle towns, Southwest Ethiopia, 2022. BMC Nutrition, 8, Article 151. doi:10.1186/s40795-022-00651-3
Türkistanli, T. T., & Sevgili, C. (2018). Food hygiene knowledge and awareness among undergraduate maritime students. International Maritime Health, 69(4) 270-277. doi:10.5603/IMH.2018.0043
Wan Nawawi, W. N. F., Ramoo, V., Chong, M. C., Zaini, N. H., Chui, P. L., Abdul Mulud, Z. (2022). The food safety knowledge, attitude and practice of Malaysian food truck vendors during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare, 10, 998. doi:10.3390/healthcare10060998
Wanniarachchi, P. C., & Abeysundara, P. D. A. (2022). A systematic review on knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food safety among school children: A global perspective. Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University Journal of Science and Technology, 10(1), 26–42. doi:10.53848/ssstj.v10i1.412
World Health Organization. (2024). Food safety: Key facts. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety
Xiong, J. (2017). Food safety knowledge and practices of college students. Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day, 135. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/elce_cscday/135
Ahmad, H., Abidin, S. A., & Quah, W. B. (2024). Keeping It Clean: The Role of Education in Food Safety Among Future Hospitality Professionals. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(9), 1484–1493.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode