Assessment of the subjective food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of informal live bird traders in Accra, Ghana

This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of informal live bird traders operating in various markets in Accra, Ghana. A total of 132 live bird traders participated in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews, and responses were scored to determine the level of food safety KAP. Respondents who scored ≥ 70 of the maximum possible score were categorized as having good food safety knowledge and practices and positive attitudes. Respondents generally had insufficient food safety knowledge and poor food safety practices, with scores of 59.04 ± 28.66 (49.2%) and 9.24 ± 4.40 (33%), respectively. Respondents’ attitudes toward food safety was generally positive, with a mean score of 17.15 ± 3.32 (78%). Significant gaps were observed in relation to ignorance of sources of contamination during primary poultry processing operations, infrequency of hand washing before and during poultry processing, infrequent washing of food contact surfaces and carcass showering after evisceration, and complete disregard for carcass chilling. There is therefore a pressing need to educate the live bird traders on the food safety implications of their operational practices.