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Ponte Academic Journal
Aug 2022, Volume 78, Issue 8

FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND HANDLING PRACTICES OF POULTRY PRODUCTS BY CONSUMERS IN NGAKA MODIRI MOLEMA DISTRICT, NORTH-WEST PROVINCE

Author(s): Tshomarelo Dikgole ,Christian Mzuyanda, Usapfa Luvhengo

J. Ponte - Aug 2022 - Volume 78 - Issue 8
doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2022.8.4


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Abstract:
Improvements in food safety education for the prevention of foodborne illnesses can be achieved if consumer food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices are known and understood. Despite increasing scholarly interest in food safety issues, food safety challenges continue to be a problem and have not decreased, necessitating the need for food safety education. The study analysed food safety knowledge and handling practices of poultry products by consumers. Data were collected from 384 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics in the form of mean, standard deviation and variance were used to identify the sources of information available to consumers about food safety and handling practices as well as the sources of information used whereby traditional and mass media (television, newspaper, radio, magazine, and social media) were the frequently used (47%) sources of information. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess consumers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of food safety and the first principal component (PC1) had a higher explanatory power, which accounted for 29,07% of the variation in the overall food safety knowledge, attitudes and handling practices of consumers when dealing with poultry products. However, the results obtained from the linear regression analysis showed a contradiction between the results obtained by the principal component analysis and the food safety knowledge scores.