Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Hygienic Practices of Abattoir Workers in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study assessed food safety knowl-edge, attitudes, and hygienic practices of workers in three abattoir facilities in Ethiopia. A food safety questionnaire was administered to 422 respondents. Results showed that 63.3% of respondents demonstrated poor food safety knowledge, with a mean score of 47.21 ± 17.19. Nearly, 46% of respondents demonstrated good attitudes, with a mean score of 62.24 ± 9.50. Approximately 61% of respondents were classified as having good practices, with a mean score of 51.68 ± 8.18. A significant, positive correlation was observed between knowledge and practic-es (rs = 0.569, P < 0.0001), knowledge and attitudes (rs = 0.735, P < 0.0001), and practices and attitudes (rs = 0.518, P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the education level of respondents was significantly associated with food safety knowledge (P < 0.0001). Pri-mary school education (P = 0.013) and informal education (P < 0.0001) were factors associated with food safety attitudes. In addition, poor knowledge (P = 0.01), less than 2 years of work experience (P = 0.023), and contract employment status (P < 0.0001) were significantly asso-ciated with respondents’ food safety practices. This study provides evidence that educational-based intervention is needed for abattoir workers to improve meat safety.