Food Safety Knowledge, Handling Practices and Associated Factors Among Food Handlers Working in Food Establishments in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020: Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Foodborne illness is a major public health problem worldwide. The supply of safe and healthy food is crucial to prevent foodborne illness. However, evidence regarding food safety knowledge and handling practice is limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess food safety knowledge, handling practice, and its associated factors among food handlers in Debre Markos Town, North West Ethiopia.

Patients And Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 408 randomly selected food handlers at Debre-Markos town. A structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect relevant data. The main outcome of interest was food safety and handling practice. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors significantly associated with food safety knowledge and food handling practice. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.

Results: In this study, only 34.1% of food handlers had good food safety knowledge and nearly 54% of food handlers had good food handling practice. Level of education (AOR = 0.23 (0.14-0.57)), training on food safety (AOR = 5.13 (3.57-7.82)), and favorable attitudes towards food safety (AOR=2.54 (1.52-4.25)) were the factors associated with knowledge of food safety. Similarly, training (AOR=2.05, 95% CI=1.31-3.19), a good level of knowledge (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.40, 3.17), and work experience (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10-2.81) were positively associated with good food handling practice.

Conclusion: In this study, the level of food safety knowledge and handling practices were relatively low. Therefore, the concerned bodies should work on the identified factors to improve food handlers' knowledge of food safety and practice level. Continuous training for food handlers should be given.