Knowledge, attitude and practice of chicken vendors on food safety and foodborne pathogens at wet markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 290 chicken vendors by using a structured pretested questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices on food safety and foodborne pathogens at wet markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The result shows that a considerable number of vendors were illiterate (44.1 %) followed by primary school leaver (39.7 %) and secondary school degree (15.9 %) and no one had any food safety training and health certificate. The vendor's knowledge and safety practices were below an acceptable level with the mean value of 8.53 ± 6.28 and 5.53 ± 2.53 respectively. Vendors had satisfactory knowledge on food safety (70 %) while unsatisfactory knowledge on antimicrobial resistance (20 %), zoonoses (26.5 %), foodborne pathogen (38.6 %), and Salmonella (13.1 %). Besides, about 63.8 % of chicken vendors had a good attitude on food safety with a mean of total score of 8.35 ± 4.99. Almost every vendor had an acceptable level of knowledge and attitude about hand washing, uses of personal protective devices (apron, hand gloves, and mask), cleaning of utensils (knife and chopping board), proper disposal of wastages, drainage, and regular cleaning of shops with disinfectant. A statistically significant correlation was found between the level of education and knowledge (p < 0.05); education and practices (p < 0.05); experiences and practices (p < 0.05); age and practices (p < 0.05). There was also a statistically significant correlation found between level of education and income (p < 0.05); age and income (p < 0.05). Chi2 analysis did not disclose any significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practices. Continuous education, hands-on training, awareness, and motivation for vendors are recommended to improve their food safety knowledge and practices.