Title : A study of food safety and hygiene in food court at UiTM Pulau Pinang

Abstract

1.0 Introduction
In Malaysia, food in Food Act 1983 is defined as every article manufactured, sold or
represented for use as food or drink for human consumption or which enters into or is used
in the composition, preparation and preservation, of any food or drink and includes
confectionary, chewing substances and any ingredient of such food, drink, confectionary or
chewing substances. As we know, food safety and hygiene is an important issue to our
country. Food safety is the responsibility in every person who is involve in food service
because serving safe food is the top priority for every food service employee. While, food
hygiene purpose is to preserve health by reducing the risk of producing harmful food and
preventing infestations by pests like flies, mice at the premises. Food safe should be
emphasized so that it free from contaminants and will not cause illness or harm to others.
Every consumer has the right to get safe food for their consumption. Food is one of the basic
needs and is essential to consumers. Therefore it is important to ensure that only safe food
is supplied to consumers.
The case due to lack of food safety and hygiene is foodborne disease. It has been
detected by World Health Organization (WHO), that there are five major factors lead to food
borne illness, which includes lack of hygiene and sanitation by the food handlers, improper
cooking procedures, temperature abuse during storage, cross-contamination between fresh
ready-to-eat foods and raw foods and acquiring food from risky sources. Therefore, the
major reason for outbreaks of food poisoning mostly due to unhygienic food handling
procedures so that they play as a major role in the prevention of food poisoning during food
preparation. Hence, in Malaysia, the food handler training is seen as one of the main
strategies to increase food safety practices.

1.1 Problem statement

Most of the food handlers at do not practice the good personal hygiene and safe food during
preparation of food. Thus, it increases of reported number cases about food poisoning
among students in UiTM Pulau Pinang due to lack of food safety and hygiene by food
handlers. So this study is for identify the factors that influencing knowledge, attitude and
practice of food safety by the food handlers.
1.2 Study justification
This study is for avoid food poisoning outbreaks and sometimes death to consumers.
Besides, this is also for finding the sources of the food poisoning especially in the food court
whether it happen by direct or indirect transmission. Besides, this study provides information
and reveals many critical issues about the knowledge, attitudes and food safety practices of
food handlers. Positive attitude formation leads to positive behaviour. On the contrary,
superficial knowledge leads to misconception and development of negative attitudes. As a
result, it increases harmful practice. In fact, many food handlers have sufficient knowledge to
ensure hygienic handling of food, such as the knowledge of the dangers of contamination,
storage, preparation of food. By doing this study, we can determine the ways on how to
break the chain of transmission cause by the food poisoning. So that, the food handlers must
aware and practice the good food safety and hygiene in their premises to avoid the lost cost
of their business.

1.3 Objectives
1.3.1 General objective
To observe the food safety and hygiene in food court at UiTM Pulau Pinang.

1.3.2 Specific objective

1.3.2.1 To determine the awareness of personal hygiene and safe food handling in food
court in UiTM Pulau Pinang.
1.3.2.2 To identify the effect due to lack of food safety and hygiene to consumers.

1.4 Hypothesis
There are three factors of food hygiene at the food court which are the process of preparing
the food and serving, staff and food hygiene practices. From the study, i can see that the
food handlers at food court does not practices good personal hygiene. For example they do
not wear proper entire such as apron and gloves especially during cooking. If the food
handlers do not aware about personal hygiene and safe food so it will cause the outbreak of
food poisoning among students in UiTM Pulau Pinang. In that case, the student will feel
unhealthy as well as can affect their study.
2.0 Literature review
Food safety issue is not new in Malaysia as problems such as unsafe food handling,
doubtful food preparation, food poisoning outbreaks in schools and education institutions
and spreading of infectious food borne illness has been discussed by the public more often
than before. “In Malaysia, the incidence rate of acute diarrhoea among the ethnic Chinese
are the lowest compared to other major ethnics as a results of food preparation where it’s
usually served hot for the wok. When the food is served hot meaning it is thoroughly cooked
and eaten immediately, this will for sure minimizes the risk of food poisoning. Improper food
handling, preparation and storage and very low awareness about the food borne disease
had increased the risk factor and this has become a cultural practice among the Hmong
community”. (Perez et.al, 2006).
From the study, we can know that food borne diseases occur as the results of ingestion
of foodstuffs contaminated with microorganisms or chemical. The contamination of food may
occur at any stage in the process from the food production to consumption and can also
result from environmental contamination including pollution of water, soil and air. Example of
these diseases are cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and food poisoning and
mainly related to poor sanitation. It may lead to permanent health problem and disability.
Hence, food poisoning can cause death if not treated early. The food borne pathogens are
bacteria, virus, parasites and toxin. In that case, based on Center of Communicable Disease
(2006), food borne disease is an important public health problem causing a significant
impact on economic and trade in Malaysia and others developing country. This is because
food borne can lead to death and affect our new generation.
Moreover, according to a studies by Methahuddin (2002), factors for incidence of the
food borne disease in Malaysia namely unhygienic food handling practices, poor
environmental sanitation and inadequate of safe drinking water supply in the slum and
squatter areas. However the most common factor for food borne disease outbreaks is
unhygienic food handling practices. Practices indirectly related to food refer to the hygiene
status or cleanliness of the food handlers. We can see that among food handlers through
wearing clean clothes and aprons, having short and clean hair as well as fingernails and also
wearing shoes while handling food in the premises.
http://www.foodborneillness.com/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713510004391
http://file.scirp.org/Html/14-2700555_24497.htm
http://malrep.uum.edu.my/rep/Record/uitm.eprints.7779/Description#tabnav