Improving Food Safety Standards in Hospitals Through Education

Foodborne diseases present a widespread and growing public health problem both in developed and developing countries including Kenya. Diseases spread through food still remain a common and persistent problem resulting in appreciable morbidity and occasional mortality. Food hygiene in hospital poses peculiar problems, particularly given the presence of patients who could be more vulnerable than healthy individuals to microbiological risks. Kitchen environment and food handlers play an important role in ensuring food safety throughout the chain of production, processing and preparation; the common involvement of food handlers who are not specifically trained in food hygiene and HACCP and kitchen environments that do not meet food safety standard is a cause of concern. The objectives of this study were to assess the levels of compliance to food hygiene standards in selected hospitals in Kenya; to determine perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices amongst food handlers, and to evaluate the effectiveness of food safety training on food safety knowledge and practices among hospital food handlers.