Introduction: Foodborne illness has major health, social and economic consequences, so it is very important that food business operators and all employees comply with food safety requirements. Foodborne diseases and poisonings are common in the hospitality industry, so it is important that employees are trained in food safety, have the right attitude and behavior. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis is to determine and assess the food handlers knowledge, attitude and behavior, in ensuring food safety on a global scale and on a sample of employees in restaurants in municipality of Ljubljana. Methods: A systematic review of the literature by specific databases was used. Using semi-structured interviews, we wanted to find out what knowledge and attitude employees have towards food safety and how they work/handle food in practice. Results: Using the method of systematic review of the literature, we included 20 articles in the final analysis, in English, which corresponded with the purpose of the research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight employees. The analysis of the results showed that the biggest motivating factor is the interpersonal relationship between employees, followed by good communication, good working conditions and salary. We found that the knowledge of employees is insufficient, especially in terms of microbiological risk factors, and in terms of temperature values in providing and maintaining a hot and cold chain. Despite the training of employees, there is still insufficient transfer of knowledge into practice, mainly due to motivational and organizational factors, obstacles. Discussion and conclusion: With the conducted research, we came to the conclusion that the knowledge and attitudes of employees towards ensuring food safety are at satisfactory levels, but there is still room for improvement. We identified motivational, demotivating factors and barriers that prevent employees from implementing good practices. It is necessary to establish a precise and clear training plan, better communication between employees and superiors, and change the attitude of restaurant owners and other superiors towards the training itself.
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