Hygiene, Food Safety Practices and Sanitation in Some Food Service Centres in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

The aim of this research was to study the level of knowledge of hygiene, food safety and sanitation in some food service centres in Zaria. Questionnaires were used to collect information on personal characteristics of food handlers, hygiene and food handling techniques. As well as food safety practices and sanitation of food centres. Out of 90 respondents, 53(58.9%) were less than 30 years, 53(58.9%) were males, 37(41.1%) females and 83(84.4%) had formal education and exhibited good hygiene behaviour. There were significant differences (p<0.05) among the three categories of food service centres in hygiene practices. Moreover, meticulous hand washing was not observed in any of the food centres. This study also revealed the poor sanitary measures taken in the sanitation of food preparation and handling areas. Most of the food handlers did not know that disinfectants were used for reducing bacteria to a safe level. Water for washing raw materials and cleaning utensils were not adequate in “bukas” as they were in restaurants and cafeterias. There were also potential health risks associated with methods used by food handlers to test adequacy of cooking by touching foods with bare hands.