Knowledge of Food Safety and Practices among Cooked Food Vendors in the East Mamprusi District of the Northern Region of Ghana

Food safety has become a major public health concern globally as street food vending is a rapidly growing industry in both developed and the developing world. An increasing incidence of diarrhoea cases in Ghana is attributable to unhygienic street food vending. This study was carried out to assess knowledge and practices regarding food safety among cooked food vendors. The research design was a cross-sectional study. A sample size of 81 food vendors was selected. Data was collected using questionnaire. Results showed that 98.9% of the respondents were females. Majority of the food vendors had some knowledge on food safety and hygiene and knew that diarrheal diseases could result from food contamination and/or poisoning. 98% of the respondents said hand washing was necessary at all times but, only 13.6% washed their hands all the time and out of this only 45.5% washed their hands always with soap and running water. Only 21% store leftover foods in the refrigerator whilst 41% store food at room temperature. 35% of the respondents had undergone medical screening for food vendors and out of this percentage, 60% were screened more than six months ago. It was concluded that food vendors in East Mamprusi generally had a fair knowledge of food safety and hygiene but the practice of food hygiene was inadequate. Thus there is the need for health officials and the local government to periodically inspect and encourage food vendors to practice food hygiene and to always to be available for medical screening periodically.