Meat safety knowledge, attitude and practices of slaughterhouse workers in Kajiado, Kenya

A major contributor to the poor meat safety status in Kenya is low level of slaughter hygiene knowledge and practices among slaughterhouse workers.

The study determined knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs) of workers from 7 small and medium slaughterhouses in Kajiado County on slaughter hygiene and meat safety.

Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 78 workers, managers and meat inspectors.

Majority (92.3%) of workers lacked slaughter hygiene and meat safety training. Workers had high knowledge with an overall mean score of 19.2 ± 2 out of 24, high personal hygiene scores (9.9 ± 0.8 out of 11), moderate carcass contamination scores (4.2 ± 0.8 out of 6), meat-borne illness score (3.1 ± 1 out of 4) and temperature intervention scores (2.1 ± 0.6 out of 3). Moderate and high scores were recorded in attitude and practices and differed significantly across slaughterhouses (p < 0.05) with a mean of 33 ± 5 out of 40 and 59.3 ± 3.5 out of 65, respectively. There was no significant difference in KAP scores between trained and untrained workers. Carcass decontamination practices by workers differed from that of the meat inspector. Surface and handheld equipment sanitization practices were observed as poor. Medical testing practice was poor and significantly different across slaughterhouses (p < 0.001) with infection rates of zoonoses and occupational hazards as high as 33% in some slaughterhouses.

The study concluded that although high knowledge and neutral attitude were scored by slightly more than half of the workers, poor practices were reported and observed in carcass decontamination, equipment and facility sanitization and worker medical examination. Slaughter facilities in Kajiado County have an opportunity to offer their workers role-specific training, the provision of personal protective equipment, hygiene and sanitation facilities and strict oversight of worker medical testing.