FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES OF FOOD EATERIES IN MANGA,

TAGBILARAN CITY IN THIS TIME OF PANDEMIC

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Food safety practices were significantly associated with supervision by

health professionals. The probability of having good food safety practices were

on the food handlers. Food safety describes all practices that are used to keep

our food safe. It relies on the joint efforts of everyone involved in our food

supply. All along the food chain, from farmers and producers to retailers and

caterers, legislation and controls are in place to reduce the risk of

contamination, and personally we each have a role to play as well.

Good personal hygiene and food handling practices are important for

preventing the transmission of pathogens from food handlers to the

consumers. Food handlers play a key role in ensuring strict adherence to food

safety principles throughout the whole process. Often, food handlers may lack

the relevant food safety knowledge required for adequate implementation of

Eateries. They are required to avoid the contamination of food by microbes by

maintaining high standards of food hygiene and sanitation at all times.

Food safety is a growing public health issue. It’s a global concern that

covers a variety of different areas of everyday life. Since eateries nowadays

are popular, food safety plays an important role in the reputation of it. Studies

revealed that lack of basic sanitary facilities/infrastructures, poor knowledge

and practice of hygiene and sanitation among food handlers in food

establishments, and negligence in safe food handling are major reasons of

poor food safety practice in food establishments

With the exponential increase of food businesses (Aning, 2020;

Madarang, 2020) that may not be practicing food safety practices, there is a

need to problematize the varied ways of handling food at any point along the

supply chain, most particularly when the food is prepared at the food eateries.

According to the WHO, FBDs are serious because of bad hygienic food

handling methods, bad understanding and absence of infrastructure. This is

due to the prevailing poor food handling and safety practices, inadequate food

safety laws, weak regulatory systems, lack of financial resources, etc. FBD

outbreaks are because of contamination due to poor food handling practice of

the food handlers. In the absence of well-maintained and proper food handling

practices in food eateries the potential to impart a disastrous effect on human

health.
 Recognizing these needs and conditions, this study examined the

practices of food handlers at food eateries, It utilizes food safety practices.

Therefore, it is very essential to identify factors affecting safe food handling

practices, especially during preparation and serving. Thus, this study aimed to

evaluate factors associated with food safety practices among food handlers

food eateries at this time of pandemic.

Literature Background

Food safety starts with storing your food properly. The transmission of

food-borne diseases is aggravated by unsafe food handling practices of food

handlers. The role of food handlers in ensuring food safety at the household

level is well accepted but an understanding of the status of their food handling

knowledge and practices is needed It is very important to understand the

interaction of the prevailing food safety, knowledge, and practices of food

handlers in reducing food-borne outbreak especially in this time of pandemic.

Food handling is important because unsafe food handling can lead to

outbreaks of foodborne illnesses (commonly known as food poisoning).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foodborne illnesses can

cause long-lasting disability and even death. Under the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) Food Code 2017, permit holders or those who operate

food businesses must assign someone or take responsibility as the person in

the correct temperatures during cooking, cooling, and holding. Food

businesses are responsible for ensuring that food handlers have both the skills

in and knowledge of food safety practices.

According to (Leon Garris), ensuring food safety is a public health

priority and an essential steps in achieving food security. The World Trade

Organization (WHO) and Food & Agriculture Organization (FDA) addresses to

minimize the impact of COVID-19 calls for enhancing food security, food

safety, and nutrition, also, to improve the general welfare of people around the

world. Nutrition and food safety authorities to maintain good health

Food handlers are not issued with sanitary permit or are not required to

apply for food safety certification, which can lead to unsafe and unacceptable

practices in food preparation putting customers at risk of FBD. Several

improper food preparation practices at home, such as improper cooking

practices, reheating, undercooking, cooling of food, inadequate preparation,

cross contamination, insufficient processing and poor hygiene are found to

cause FBD (Azanaw et al., 2019; Carstens et al., 2019; Ucar et al., 2016)

Food safety practice is of the utmost importance to ensure that

consumers do not become ill from contaminated food, as this can be serious.

An integral part of food handling, food safety should always be a priority.

Statement of the Problem

Food safety plays an important role in the reputation of food eateries

especially in this time of pandemic. This study aims to determine the food

safety practices of food eateries in Barangay Manga in this time of pandemic.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of respondents in terms of:

1.1. Sex;

1.2. Age;

1.3. Years of Work Experience; and

1.4. Highest Educational Background?

2. What are the food safety practices of food eateries in Manga, Tagbilaran

City in terms of:

2.1 Clean:

2.2 Separate;

2.3 Chill; and

2.4 Cook?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the respondents

and their food safety practices?

recommendations?

Significance of the Study

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Design

This study was investigated using a descriptive design. It used

quantitative method because the researchers used questionnaires to obtain

information and to arrive at accurate results, and content of the questionnaire

was made in simple English dialect for better understanding of the

respondents. This study employs a descriptive design since it necessitates a

thorough examination of the subject to validate the data required.

Environment and Participants

The study was conducted in the selected areas of Barangay Manga,

Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines where eateries are located.

The participants of this research were the food handlers of the selected

eateries within Barangay Manga.

In this study, the researchers used a self-made questionnaire. The

questionnaire is a set of orderly arranged questions carefully prepared to

answer by the respondents to collect information. The first part of the

questionnaire is about the profile of the respondents. The second part is the

questions to be answered by the respondent. We used Likert Scale Method in

the survey questionnaires to specify the level of agreement of the respondents

to the statements.

Data Gathering Procedure

A letter of request to conduct the study was prepared. The researchers

constructed a questionnaire, validated by the teacher of the subject then the

questionnaires are distributed. Then, the researchers explain to the

respondents the importance of their response to the study. They clarify some

terms to the respondents so that the respondents can answer the

questionnaire with full knowledge of their responsibility as the subject of the

study and requested the respondents to answer with all honesty. After the

respondents answered the questionnaire, the researchers collected and tallied

the data for interpretation. The researchers ask a statistician to help in

determining the appropriate statistical tools to be used and in interpreting the

data. Based on the data the researchers comes up with conclusions and

recommendations for this study.

Food Eateries. A place where people can be served food.

Food Handlers. The one who comes into direct touch with food, as well

as the equipment and utensils used to prepare or serve food, is considered a

food handler.

Food Safety. It refers to how we handle, store, and prepare food in

order to avoid infection and ensure that our food contains enough nutrients for

us to eat a healthy diet