Abstract
Background
In South Africa about 2.2 million children attend one of 42 420 early childhood development centres (ECDCs) where food is prepared for them daily. Children form part of the vulnerable groups within society and safe food preparation at these centres is important to prevent foodborne diseases.
Objectives
The study objectives include assessing food-safety knowledge and practices of food handlers; assessing handwash practices and surface cleaning using swab sampling and a comparison of food safety compliance among both registered and unregistered ECDCs in Elsies River, the Western Cape.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study conducted at 17 randomly selected ECDCs in Elsies River, located within the City of Cape Town Municipality, investigated food-safety knowledge and attitudes of 18 food handlers, using a self-administered questionnaire. Hygiene conditions and food-handler practices monitored during a one-to-two-hour observation was recorded on an observation sheet, and a total of 35 environmental swabs were collected and analysed. Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences were used to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics, displayed in tables and graphs.
Results
Data revealed fair knowledge (87.2%) and positive attitudes among food handlers (96.0%), however food safety practices (76.4%) scored lower. Only 11.1% of the food handlers received food safety training and not many were familiar with foodborne diseases such as hepatitis A (44.4%), typhoid fever (38.9%) and salmonellosis (16.7%). Separate handwash basins and disposable hand drying towels were only available at 23.5% of ECDCs; and handwash soap at 47.1% of ECDCs. Handwashing using soap before handling food (17.1%) and handwashing with soap after handling raw food (29.4%) was lacking. Separate cutting boards were only available at 41.2% of ECDCs and chemicals were improperly stored near food at 11.8% of these centres. Refrigerator temperatures at...