Cohort study on the food safety knowledge among food services employees in Saudi Arabia state hospitals

Hospital food safety is of paramount importance as patients are vulnerable to acquired diseases transmitted by unsafe food. The focus of this research was to critically analyze food safety and hygiene knowledge in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in respect of compliance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO22000). Interviews of 242 randomly selected food services employees from seven KSA hospitals were carried out. Roles ranged from catering workers and catering supervisors together with Ministry of Health (MOH) supervisors. The survey was designed to evaluate their level of education, training, ethnicity, level of understanding and knowledge of food safety management systems, such as HACCP. Amongst an ethnically diverse group of catering workers, education levels were adequate but hygiene training in some of the hospitals investigated could be improved and the training should start immediately upon employment. The group of catering supervisors were well-educated but the survey identified some weaknesses in their knowledge and understanding of HACCP. The MOH supervisors group were all Saudi nationals and also showed some weakness in their knowledge and understanding of HACCP. The food policies in KSA need to be more accessible to their target audience and the format of the policies would benefit from increased consultation at all levels of the food supply chains