Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions (KAPs) Among NGOs in Lebanon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Food poisoning cases are on the rise in Lebanon recently and specifically due to electricity shortages in most regions. Restaurants, households, and hospitals are currently suffering from food poisoning cases due to the inappropriate storage of food, adding to the previous lack of knowledge and practice of the Lebanese society of food safety. Several studies have shown this lack but no studies have yet been done on the non-profit organization (NGOs) providing food to people in need. Lebanese NGOs have been on the rise and especially after the Beirut blast that happened in August 2020.

We aim to study the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of the kitchen operational managers (KOM) which reflect the knowledge of the food handlers inside the kitchen, and to further establish necessary recommendations to assist the NGOs in providing safe food to the people in need.

A statistical survey-based study will be conducted with 49 NGOs covering most of the Lebanese regions and the results obtained will be statistically analyzed using SPSS associations will be done between the participants’ characteristics such as gender, age, and education with their food safety knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions

Our results showed a positive attitude towards implementing food safety however low knowledge and perceptions scores. It was noticed that the majority of the managers did not know that freezing does not eliminate bacteria (48.8%) or does not follow the best method for vegetable sanitation (73.2%). Results also showed that never taking food safety training would decrease the knowledge score by 4.274 points and the perception score by 4.343 points.

The need for training was highlighted in this study with emphasis on some control measures and practices to be followed to reduce the risk of food poisoning specifically in Lebanon.

This study provides insights for policymakers, consultancy companies, as well as the government in establishing necessary customized training.