Food Sanitation

Level of Awareness and Practices on Food Safety and Sanitation among Third Year Students in Malayan Colleges Laguna: Input to Food Safety Program Chapter 2
As stated by Ko (2011), about 15%-20% of food poisoning that was caused of temperature abuse and cross contamination in Taiwan occurred at schools. While in America, students that works on food establishments were tested to know their proper knowledge when it comes to food safety and it the test shows that only 39% of the students has the proper knowledge when it comes to food safety practices. (McArthur, 2007) Students can be the victim of food borne illnesses but students can also be the cause of it. Proper knowledge on handling, storing and disposal are important to the daily life of a student. Improper or lack in food safety and sanitation information does not only make them ignorant of the issue but also it can pose them to illnesses and heightened diseases. Inculcating information and an informative program that focuses on food awareness and sanitation can let the students foresee the possibilities of their lack of awareness and practices. A study in Trinidad was conducted to see how many households are familiar with proper food safety practices and 95% of the respondents do not know how to perform food safety practices, specifically the preparing, transporting, storing and serving food s in a proper manner and 98% of respondents were found out to be not washing their hands upon preparing meals and eating.

It has also been said in the study that only few things used in cooking are kept clean and mostly are not sanitized, and those things that are not sanitized are the ones that can have direct contact to raw ingredients like meats. Even raw meats are not treated the right way and right cooking temperature is not followed. Incorrect use of temperature can still affect a person once food is taken, if doneness of food is not properly reached, bacteria in the meat won’t be destroyed. (Patron, ND) According to Dirks (2010), a study in Missouri on 2007 shows that a number of 1097 food borne illness outbreak were caused by the convenience stores and restaurants in this incidence the Center for Disease Control stated that the results of the outbreaks were 21,244 cases of food borne illnesses and 18 deaths. Food establishments are the last places that may give the opportunities to control food safety. These places may be the last stage that hazards can be eliminated that could be the reasons for the food contamination to occur. If not controlled, hazards may cause food borne illnesses. Ingredients may be contaminated when purchased from inspected and approved sources, so it is necessary to know how to handle ingredients safely and prepare food in ways that reduces the chance of contaminated foods being seemed to clients. It was stated at the report of World Bank about the Economic Impact of Sanitation in the Philippines (2008), that somewhere 72% of the whole population of the Philippines has started to migrate to a improve sanitation in 2004.

This states that almost half of the Philippines has started to be more aware and started practicing better sanitation on their personal hygiene, waste disposal and water purification. On that year, the awareness in sanitation practices had heightened even in the different schools of the Philippines. According to Hayashi (2012), the schools in the Philippines started teaching sanitation practices in two methods: practical method and theoretical method. The practical method teaches the students on the proper usage and procedures when it comes to sanitation practices while the theoretical method is the way of teaching the student the importance of sanitation to their health and daily lives. Informing the students on the possible and equivalent occurrence in becoming lenient on their sanitation becomes an accurate approach to students.

Giving important details to the students and providing examples on why sanitation is important lessen the ignorance of not only the students but also their parents about the sanitation issues. As Hayashi (2012) stated in his study, that because of a sanitation awareness program that focuses with informing students on the importance of clean water and sanitation practices 90% of school absences due to diarrheal incidence were reduced. While in the study of Vivas et. Al. (2010), a survey was done in Ethiopia and the results were that only 17% of the participants used soap in washing their hands after using the toilet while 45% used only water. The sanitation practices are a great contributor when it comes to lessening the diseases and illnesses that is commonly experienced in society. With proper knowledge about sanitation a person can ensure one’s condition and health.

Sanitation has to be performed by food handlers but also to other individuals including the customers. The two criteria of a customer in eating in a food establishment or buying food in a shop is the cleanliness and food quality. The customers always expect that their food will taste good and would not make them sick. The qualities of the product can be maintained by the food handlers but still a buyer has to do procedures to maintain the quality and prevent the food from being a catalyst of illnesses and diseases. (McSwane et. Al., 2008)

Conceptual Framework

Synthesis
Food safety and sanitation should be considered to be a subject that should be carefully looked at because lacking of information about food safety and sanitation might cause heavy damage to the person himself or to other people.

The studies that were used in this research are similar to it by the search of importance of sanitation and food safety. The studies that were used to become a building block of this research also tackled the simple sanitation practices and the illnesses that can be encountered when a contaminated food is consumed.

In the studies that were done by Hayashi that was done at Philippines on February 2012 discusses the lack of the sanitation utilities, the sanitation programs that was established for schools and communities and connection of poverty to the knowledge of a person to the sanitation practices. Similar to the study of Hayashi, World Bank also created a study at several developing countries like Vietnam, Philippines and Laos. The research was conducted on the year 2008. The research of World Bank discusses the importance of sanitation, lack of sanitation utilities, sanitation programs, and the funds that were provided and loss because of the diseases that was incurred because of lacking of sanitation and food safety.

The study of Yarrow that was done on the year 2006 was similar to the study because of their respondents. It discuss the importance of food safety and sanitation, the practices of the college students on their food handling and the results whether a program changes the practices of the college students or not. The study of Ko that was done at Chinese Taipei on the year 2011 tackles the awareness of the college students when it comes to food purchasing and the way the college students chooses the place they eat at. It also states the food safety and sanitary habits of the college students. It discusses the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the college students towards the food safety and sanitation practices.

The study can be considered to be unique when it comes to the respondents will be surveyed. The study focuses on the food safety and sanitation practices and knowledge of the third year students of Malayan Colleges Laguna that will be used to be become a ladder to create a program that will be focusing in food safety and sanitation practices. The research that will the first study that would be focusing in the food safety and sanitation practices of the students in the given location.