Assessment of Food Safety Practices in a Rural Community in Southwest Nigeria

Food safety has been a major health challenge in both developed and developing countries. Ensuring food safety is key to preventing food borne illnesses which are contracted through consumption of unsafe foods. The aim of this study was to identify the food safety practices of residents of a rural community in Southwest, Nigeria. The study design was cross-sectional. Five clusters were selected by simple random sampling from the sampling frame. All households in the clusters were sampled to achieve a sample size of 216 households. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results show that majority of the respondents were female (62.2%), Christians (78.1%), married (53.1%), and belong to the Yoruba ethnic group (88.3%). Residents of the community showed good food safety practices with 80.6% reported to always washing their hands before cooking, 90.3% always clean their cooking utensils before and after use, 83.7% always clean their cooking environment, and nearly all (96.9%) reported washing their hands after using the toilet. A statistical association was found between educational level and washing of hands after the use of toilet (p = 0.037). Though the results show a satisfactory level of food safety practice, however, more improvements can still be made. The method of waste disposal and source of drinking water pose a future threat to the health of the community residents. Hence, a call for government’s intervention in providing potable water and modernised waste disposal facilities.