Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Restaurant Employees’ Food Handling Practices in Irbid City, Jordan
Ma'moun A. Habiballah, Firas Al-Shakhsheer, Mukhles M. Al-Ababneh

Abstract
It has been established that food handlers working in foodservices are the main source of food borne outbreaks. The current study objective is to assess restaurant employees’ food handling practices by exploring driving forces behind these practices. The study was accomplished quantitatively covering 245 restaurant employees in Irbid city-Jordan; who provided primary data by completing a designated self-administered questionnaire. A model of nine hypotheses was developed and examined using independent-samples t-tests and one way ANOVA tests. Study’s findings revealed a large number of variables influencing restaurant employees’ food handling practices including socio-demographic measures (such as age & education), workrelated elements (such as restaurant size & HACCP implementation) and culture. This study explores a previously confined researched field - cultural influences on restaurant employees’ food handling practices contributing to a wider understanding of safe food handling which in turn should enhance food safety levels. It fructifies many recommendations embodying its findings’ implications to enhance food safety levels; these include advocating HACCP implementation and more control on non-Jordanian restaurant employees’ food safety competences.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jthm.v5n1a9