Project description:ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess food handling practice and associated factors among food handlers in public food establishments, Northwest Ethiopia.ResultsIn this study a total of 416 food handlers were participated with a response rate of 416 (98.6%). Proportion of good food handling practice was 167 (40.1%) [95% CI (confidence interval): 35.10, 44.50]. Work experience [AOR (adjusted odds ratio):1.95, 95% CI 1.11, 3.45], good attitude (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.04, 3.72), secondary school education level (AOR 2.91, CI 1.20, 7.01), diploma and above education level (AOR 4.33, 95% CI 1.41, 13.31), use of three compartment dish-washing system (AOR 2.47, CI 1.27, 4.80) and use of refrigerator (AOR 3.93, CI 1.79, 8.63) were factors statistically associated with good food handling practice. This study indicated that food handling practice was relatively poor. Work experience, good attitude, level of education, use of three compartment dishwashing systems and refrigerator were factors associated with food handling practice. Hence, structuring the kitchen with modern dish washing system and refrigerator would enhance good food handling practice.
Project description:Food safety is crucial to avoid foodborne illness and improve human wellbeing. Millions of people get sick, and many of them pass away due to eating unhealthy food. Foodborne diseases are still a public health problem in developing countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess food handlers' practices and associated factors in public food establishments in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Across-sectional study was conducted among 417 food handlers in food and drink service establishments. The data were collected using a structured interview-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors. The prevalence of food safety practice among food handlers was 37.6%, with a 95% CI of (32.9, 42.7). More than half of the study participants had good knowledge and attitude. Sex (female) [AOR = 0.40, 95%CI: (0.23, 0.92)], educational status (diploma and above) [AOR = 1.50, 95%CI: (1.21, 3.10)], and good attitude [AOR = 0.25 95%CI: (0.12, 0.89)] were predictors of food safety practices. The prevalence of food safety practices among food handlers in Gondar food establishments was low. The provision of education and on-the-job training on food safety and personal hygiene is advised to enhance good food handling practices.
Project description:Few studies have attempted to quantify the variety, price, and consumer desirability of fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) across a diversity of cities. We implemented a market basket survey of F&Vs from December 2018 to February 2019 in middle-income neighborhoods of the following cities: Visakhapatnam, India; Kathmandu, Nepal; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mexico City, Mexico; Bangkok, Thailand; and Brookline, United States. The total variety of fruits ranged from 4.1 in Visakhapatnam to 17.3 in Brookline, and of vegetables from 6.1 in Dar es Salaam to 20.3 in Brookline. Of the 3 fruits for which price data were collected, apples tended to be the most expensive, and bananas the least expensive. For vegetables, capsicum tended to be the most expensive and eggplants the least expensive. Tablet-based market basket surveys are a useful tool for evaluating food environments. These pilot data provide further evidence of the homogenization of global diets.
Project description:BackgroundIn terms of global impact, foodborne infections have been likened to major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, with 1 in 10 people becoming ill and 420,000 deaths per year. A large number of these incidents are caused by improperly handled food in foodservice establishments. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the proportion of food handlers in Ethiopian commercial food service establishments who have safe food handling practices and their associated factors.MethodsStudies conducted before 02-05-2022 were explored in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and Ovid MEDLINE®, as well as other sources. A total of fourteen studies were included in the final synthesis. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction format prepared in Microsoft excel and the analysis was done using STATA 16 statistical software. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical assessment checklist for prevalence studies. To evaluate publication bias, a funnel plot and Egger's regression test were employed. The I2 statistic was calculated to examine for study heterogeneity. To assess the pooled effect size, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals across studies, the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was used. Subgroup analysis was conducted by region and publication year. The influence of a single study on the whole estimate was determined via sensitivity analysis.ResultsOf 323 identified articles, 14 studies were eligible for analysis (n = 4849 participants). The pooled prevalence estimate of safe food handling practices among Ethiopian food handlers was 47.14% (95% CI: 39.01-55.26, I2 = 97.23%). Foodservice training (OR, 3.89; 95% CI: 2.37-5.40), having on-site water storage facilities (OR, 4.65; 95% CI: 2.35-6.95), attitude (OR, 4.89; 95% CI: 1.39-8.29), hygiene and sanitary inspection certification (OR, 3.08; 95% CI: 1.62-4.45) were significantly associated with safe food handling practice among food handlers.ConclusionThis review identified that improvements are needed in food handling training, government regulation, and infrastructure. Standard regulations for food service enterprises must be implemented on a local and national level. Though long-term food safety requires legislation and training, failure to address infrastructure challenges can harm public health efforts. Access to safe drinking water and the presence of sanitary waste management systems should all be part of the basic infrastructure for ensuring the safety of food in food businesses.
Project description:ObjectivesFood handlers are individuals who are involved in food preparation, storage or service of food in a food facility. Unless they keep their personal hygiene, they are highly responsible for contaminating food or transmitting microbes to consumers. Thus, the main aim of this review was to pool the level of good food handling practice among food handlers working in public food establishments in Ethiopia.DesignA systematic review and meta-analysis using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal tool.Data sourcesPubMed, Google Scholar and Advanced Google were searched up to the end of February 2021.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesPublication status, publication language, type of study participants and the type of article were used to screen the article.Data extraction and study quality assessmentAll reviewers collected data independently and merged them together. A tool called the JBI Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument was used to assess the quality of each research article. The assessment was performed by two reviewers.ResultA total of 16 research articles were included in the review. The pooled level of good food handling practice was 50.72% with 95% CI (43.84% to 57.6%). Training (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.4, 95% CI (2.33 to 4.95)), attitude (AOR=3.62, 95% CI (2.23 to 5.85)) and medical check-up (AOR=5.12, 95% CI (2.93 to 8.95)) were identified as factors affecting good food handling practice with 95% CI at p<0.05.ConclusionThe level of good food handling practice among food handlers working in public food establishments of Ethiopia was very low compared with literature, and variables such as food handler training, attitude towards good food handling practice and the existence of regular medical check-ups were factors affecting good food handling practice. Provision of training that could change the attitude and regular medical check-ups for food handlers has to be in place.
Project description:This study examined the prevalence of parental report of children's adherence to USDA's MyPlate guidelines of 'half of plate filled with fruits and vegetables (FV)' and associations with child and parent/guardian report of food-related practices and the home food environment. Data for this study represent the baseline assessment (n = 160 parent-child dyads) of the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study, a randomized controlled trial to prevent excess weight gain among 8-12 year-old children. Multiple logistic regression models examined associations between a newly created 'half plate FV' variable 'During the past seven days how many times was half of your child's plate filled with fruits and vegetables at dinner?" and personal and home food environmental factors, including food availability, child fruit/vegetable intake, and healthy eating index (HEI), adjusted for race and receipt of public assistance. Parents reported their children had half their plates filled with FV at dinner on average 2.7 times in the past week. With each reported child intake of FV, the odds of having half their plates filled with FV were almost one and a half times greater; there were significantly higher odds of children having half their plates filled with FV with greater children's HEI, parent and child cooking skills and self-efficacy to cook healthy meals, family meal frequency, and availability of more types of fruits and vegetables in the home. The findings demonstrate that the MyPlate campaign's message of "half the plate filled with FV" can be used in nutrition interventions focusing on improving the home food environment and increasing children's FV intake; the survey item used in the present study may be effective in capturing adherence to the MyPlate message.
Project description:Background:Social inequalities in nutrition lead a high number of families to struggle with food insecurity, even in developed countries. We aimed to assess the impact of fruits and vegetables vouchers on food security among disadvantaged households from a Paris suburb. Methods:We used a pre-post assessment design. Families answered face-to-face questionnaires on food consumption and food security status before and after a randomly assigned intervention. Households in the intervention group received vouchers to buy exclusively fruits and vegetables over one year. Both intervention and control groups benefitted from nutritional education through workshops performed by dieticians during the study period. The Household Food Security Module (HFSM) was used to assess food security status of households at inclusion. Food Insufficiency Indicator (FSI) was used to assess food security at inclusion and follow-up. Evolution of FSI on both groups was evaluated using McNemar test. Results:Among the 91 families included between May 2015 and May 2016, 64 completed the post assessment questionnaire. At inclusion, 68.3% of families were experiencing food insecurity and 78.1% were experiencing food insufficiency. No association was found between food consumptions and food security status. After one-year follow-up, the prevalence of food insufficiency was significantly decreased in the intervention group (61.8%, with p value?=?0.03), and unchanged in the control group. Conclusion:In this pilot study, food insufficiency was significantly decreased in families receiving vouchers for fruits and vegetables over a one-year period. Trial registration:NCT02461238, registered 3 June 2015 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02461238.
Project description:To systematically review the available evidence on whether national or international agricultural policies that directly affect the price of food influence the prevalence rates of undernutrition or nutrition-related chronic disease in children and adults. Systematic review. Global. We systematically searched five databases for published literature (MEDLINE, EconLit, Agricola, AgEcon Search, Scopus) and systematically browsed other databases and relevant organisational websites for unpublished literature. Reference lists of included publications were hand-searched for additional relevant studies. We included studies that evaluated or simulated the effects of national or international food-price-related agricultural policies on nutrition outcomes reporting data collected after 1990 and published in English. Prevalence rates of undernutrition (measured with anthropometry or clinical deficiencies) and overnutrition (obesity and nutrition-related chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes). We identified a total of four relevant reports; two ex post evaluations and two ex ante simulations. A study from India reported on the undernutrition rates in children, and the other three studies from Egypt, the Netherlands and the USA reported on the nutrition-related chronic disease outcomes in adults. Two of the studies assessed the impact of policies that subsidised the price of agricultural outputs and two focused on public food distribution policies. The limited evidence base provided some support for the notion that agricultural policies that change the prices of foods at a national level can have an effect on population-level nutrition and health outcomes. A systematic review of the available literature suggests that there is a paucity of robust direct evidence on the impact of agricultural price policies on nutrition and health.
Project description:Microplastics are transferred to humans through the food chain by consuming food contaminated with microplastics. However, the knowledge about the risks of dietary exposure for humans to these particles is very limited. Moreover, only a few studies on microplastic pollution in fruit and vegetables have been carried on. Thus, this study aims to investigate the presence of microplastics in some of the most consumed fruits and vegetables (pear (Pyrus communis), apple (Malus domestica), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), onion (Allium cepa), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus)) from Turkey and to evaluate the potential risk for consumers. Fruits and vegetable samples were purchased from different markets and fruiterer (two of each) in Muğla province, Southwest of Turkey. Microplastic extraction processes were carried out on the edible parts of the samples. According to the results obtained, a total of 210 particles (2.9 ± 1.6 particle g-1) were detected in all samples. Any significant difference occurred among the different markets. The maximum average amount of microplastic was determined in tomato samples (3.63 ± 1.39 particle g-1). The highest microplastic intake was with tomato (398,520 particles individual-1 year-1 for Estimated Annual Intake (EAI) and Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) for children 68.24 particles kg-1 day-1). The occurrence of microplastics of big size, that are not allowed to pass by plant xylem transport, suggests that fresh vegetables and fruits can be contaminated with plastic, especially during the production phase, during agricultural activities and during the marketing process (transport to the market and purchasing process).
Project description:Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are etiological agents of enteric diseases characterized by diarrhea that can progress to chronicity in humans, especially in children and in immunocompromised patients. This study aims to assess the genetic pattern of G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi detected in vegetables and fruits commercialized in Maputo markets, Mozambique and determine their public health importance. Eight study points were sampled: a farmer zone, a wholesale, four retail markets, and two supermarkets in Maputo city, where eight types of horticultural products were purchased. Using nested-PCR methods, 2.8% (9/321) and 1.3% (4/321) of samples monitored were positive for G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi, respectively. Based on the analysis of the β-giardin and ITS rRNA sequences of G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi detected, respectively, four different sequences of G. duodenalis (three novel sequences: BgMZ1, BgMZ2, and BgMZ3, and one known sequence) all from assemblage B and three genotypes of E. bieneusi (two novel sequences: EbMZ4 and EbMZ5, and one known sequence: KIN-1) from group 1. These microorganisms were found and characterized for the first time in horticultural products in Maputo markets. All identified G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi display high genetic similarity within their β-giardin and ITS rRNA sequences, respectively, having been clustered into assemblages and genotypes with high zoonotic transmission potential. Our study may represent a relevant step in the understanding of these intestinal pathogens in association with fresh vegetables and fruits for human consumption, for a better and broader "One Health" approach.