Assessment of food safety awareness and practices among university students in Ghana: Using University of Cape Coast (UCC) students as a case study

The purpose of this study was to explore food safety practices among university students in Ghana using University of Cape Coast (UCC) students as a case study. Three research objectives guided the study which sought to examine the awareness, perceptions, and practices of food safety among the students. Ko's (2013) KAP model was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The cross-sectional descriptive survey method with a quantitative approach for data collection and analysis was employed. All 2020/2021 final year students (n = 88) of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in UCC were used for the study. Primary data on the students’ food safety awareness, perceptions, and application of food safety practices were collected electronically through the use of questionnaires transformed into Google form surveys. Findings revealed that students demonstrated high levels of awareness of proper food safety measures. The students had positive perceptions about food safety measures outlined and adopted to prevent cross-contamination of diseases associated with food. Some students demonstrated appropriate and adequate application of food safety practices, while others were not unbreast with them. It was therefore recommended that food safety measures should be intensified so that those students who reported low levels of food safety awareness can be made aware of the dangers that come with contamination. © 2022 The Authors