Practices that lead to Food Contamination in Kawempe Division Eating Places

Abstract

ABSTRACT Food poisoning and other food borne diseases could occur through poor hygiene practices especially in areas where food and drinks are served. In most cities around the world, selling of whole meals on the streets is an important means of generating income. Unfortunately, the emergence of informal food businesses can cause health problems if the foods are not prepared and handled under hygienic conditions. Therefore, there is a need to look into the operations of food vendors to ascertain whether They are adhering to proper hygiene practices. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional in design with a Multi-stage sampling technique applied in selecting 96 food vendors. Study specific structured questionnaires were used in the data collection. Data were entered into statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) version 16.0 for analysis. Absolute and relative frequencies were displayed using tabulations. Considering that a percentage of vendors are yet to adopt basic hygiene practices, it will be prudent to ensure continuous education and enforcement of policy regulations within the food industry. The study proposes that efforts should be geared towards developing training programs for food vendors as well as capacity building programs for food vendors.