ABSTRACT

Food hygiene practice has become a subject of wide scope and it is a broad term used to describe the preservation and preparation of foods in a manner that ensures the food is safe for human consumption. The study assessed nutritional knowledge, attitude, perception and food handling practices by food vendors in MOUAU. The study employed the use of descriptive survey design with the aid of a structured questionnaire which was used to collect information from 205 food vendors in and around MOUAU. The data realized was analyzed using descriptive statistics.  The study found that 55.6% of the food vendors stay inside campus, 51.2% of the food vendors were semi-mobile food vendors. In terms of gender, 62.9% were females while 37.1% were males. From the findings, 60% of the food vendors have low basic nutrition knowledge, which will greatly affect their services as food vendors, 87.8% had good attitude/perception toward food handling practices. There was a strong positive relationship between nutritional knowledge of the food handlers and their food handling practices. The study recommended among other things that; any prospective food handler seeking to operate in MOUAU should be compulsorily made to have pre-employment examination to assess his/her level of knowledge of food hygiene by the sanitary health officer(s) of the environmental health unit in conjunction with the medical officer(s) of the University Health Services Department. This would enable the Health Department screen out those who might pose some threat to the university community as far as food safety is concerned.