Perceived Value of Food Sanitation among Food Handlers in Food Outlets in Samut Sakhon Province

Abstract

The research article had the following objectives: 1) to investigate the conditions and problems related to food sanitation among food handlers in schools in Samut Sakhon province; and 2) to explore factors affected the perceived value of food sanitation among food handlers in schools at Samut Sakhon province. The study employed a quantitative research method. The sample group consisted of 163 food handlers from food outlets in Samut Sakhon province. The sample size was determined using purposive sampling and included two extra-large schools, two large-sized schools, and medium-sized schools, totaling 91 participants. The tools used for data collection were tests and questionnaires. The data analysis employed frequency and percentage.

From the study, the following results were found: 1) The conditions and problems related to food sanitation among food handlers in schools in Samut Sakhon province revealed that among food handlers, 50 food handlers (54.95%) had knowledge of food sanitation that met the knowledge criteria, while 41 food handlers (45.05%) did not meet the criteria; and     2) Factors affected the perceived value of food sanitation among food handlers in schools at Samut Sakhon province found that the majority of food handlers hold the following opinions: In Category 1 on ‘food sales locations’, they agreed on Topic 1.1 on ‘areas where food is sold and consumed’ but did not agree with ‘the provision of spoons for shared food’ (3.30%); in Category 2 on ‘food, methods of cooking, food preservation and sales’, they agreed on Topic 2.2 on ‘beverages’ but did not agree with ‘the surface of the containers that are clean, without any dirty stains, and are kept at least 15 centimeters above the floor’ (3.30%); and they agreed with Category 3 on ‘the hygiene of containers, equipment and other utensils’. Regarding ‘self-practice according to the standard of food sanitation among food handlers,’ it was found that 60.43% had neither registered nor completed training under the food sanitation curriculum provided by the designated training organization.