Food safety knowledge and practices among food handlers and consumers in Gulf countries: An integrative review

Figures & data

Table 1. Description of the studies that addressed food safety knowledge and/or practices of food handlers in Gulf countries.

Country	Reference and year of publication	Sample size	Subject and place	Main conclusions/findings
Saudi Arabia	(Abdelhafez, 2013)	200	Food service staff in hospitals	− Correlation between knowledge and practices was weak − Food safety practices were better in smaller hospitals than in larger hospitals, possibly due to lower workload.
	(Al-Shabib et al., 2016)	87	Food handlers at King Saud University	− The majority of participants demonstrated satisfactory levels of both knowledge and practice. − The study identified certain hygiene practices that require improvement.
	(Alqurashi et al., 2019)	163	Food service staff in Al Madinah hospitals	− The study demonstrated a significant correlation between knowledge and practices. − A significant association was found between education and training and improved food safety knowledge and practices.
	(Alrasheed et al., 2021)	242	Food services employees in hospitals	− Employees had significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding of HACCP. − Hospitals would benefit greatly from implementing robust food policies and investing in employee training and education.
	(Al-Mohaithef et al., 2021)	97	Restaurant supervisors in Dammam city	− Supervisors exhibited significant knowledge gaps concerning food temperature control − A positive association was found between education and knowledge of food temperature control.
	(Albgumi et al., 2019)	72	Food handlers at Princess Nourah University	− Food handlers had good food safety knowledge.
UAE	(Taha et al., 2020b)	378	Food handlers in restaurants in Jebel Ali, Dubai	− The overall levels of knowledge and practice were satisfactory. − Educational level and food safety training had positive effects on knowledge.
	(Taha et al., 2020a)	646	Food handlers in restaurants	− Food handlers with higher education levels and those who completed food safety training demonstrated superior knowledge of food safety compared to their peers. − Proper training to improve food safety knowledge is needed.
	(Osaili et al., 2021)	231	Household staff	− Household staff had inadequate knowledge about food safety. − Food safety knowledge was significantly associated with education level.
	(Abushelaibi et al., 2016)	ND*	Food handlers in schools	− Knowledge about food storage and handling was insufficient. − Food safety practices (observations) were inadequate.
Qatar	(Asim et al., 2019)	53	Food safety managers in different food service establishments in Doha	− Managers were well-trained in food safety management systems. − Application of knowledge into practice was not observed during the walk-through audits. − Managerial training and education levels were positively correlated with the likelihood of their staff receiving food safety training.
	(El-Nemr et al., 2019)	120	Produce handlers in the wholesale produce market	− Produce handlers lacked basic knowledge of personal hygiene. − Poor hygienic practices were observed during walk-through audits. − None of the produce handlers received training on personal hygiene and food safety.
	(Elobeid et al., 2019)	102	Fast food handlers in Qatar University	− Food handlers lacked knowledge in some areas of food safety. − Most participants did not know that Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen.
Oman	(Ali et al., 2018)	21	Food handlers in restaurants	− Implementation of knowledge into practice was not observed during the walk-through audits.
	(Al-Ghazali et al., 2020)	54	Food handlers in restaurants	− Almost half of the participants had poor knowledge of food safety practices. − Personal hygiene practices were poor.
Kuwait	(Al-Kandari et al., 2019)	402	Food handlers in restaurants	− Majority of food handlers had good knowledge of food safety practices. − Over one-third of participants lacked knowledge about cross-contamination, food temperature control, and foodborne pathogens.
	(Moghnia et al., 2021)	405	Food handlers in community and healthcare settings	− The overall levels of knowledge and practice were satisfactory. − Almost half of the participants had poor knowledge of certain food safety practices.
	(Allafi et al., 2020)	273	Food handlers in restaurants	− The overall levels of knowledge and practice were satisfactory. − More than half of the participants had poor knowledge in certain areas of food safety.

*ND: no data

Table 2. Description of the studies that addressed food safety knowledge and/or practices of consumers in Gulf countries.

Country	Reference and year of publication	Sample size	Subject and place	Gender	Main conclusions/findings
Saudi Arabia	(Al-Shabib et al., 2017)	808	Students at King Saud University	M & F	− Overall food safety knowledge level was intermediate − Knowledge regarding ‘heat treatment’ and ‘temperature control’ was poor
	(Farahat et al., 2015)	811	Women in households	F	− Food safety knowledge level was intermediate − Food safety practices were better than knowledge − Participants lacked knowledge about the potential risks associated with consuming raw or undercooked foods in some cases.
	(Shati et al., 2021)	3011	Parents in households	M & F	− Half of the participants had poor knowledge of food poisoning
	(Banawas, 2020)	244	Students at Majmaah University	M & F	− Participants had fair food safety knowledge
	(Ayad et al., 2022)	309	Families in households	M & F	− Half of the participants did not have sufficient knowledge regarding food safety − Two-thirds of the participants were unable to distinguish between the temperature settings for the refrigerator and freezer
	(AL-Mohaithef et al., 2020)	429	Students at Saudi Electronic University	M & F	− Participants had sufficient knowledge regarding foodborne diseases − Participants used an authentic source of information for their knowledge
	(Arfaoui et al., 2021)	1409	Women in households	F	− Half of the participants had insufficient food safety knowledge
	(Ayaz et al., 2018)	979	Mothers in households	F	− Participants had moderate knowledge of food storage and poor knowledge/practices of food handling
	(Almansour et al., 2016)	377	Students in high schools	M	− Participants had fair knowledge and good practice levels
	(Al-Beesh et al., 2019)	235	Women in households	F	− Although participants exhibited some understanding of food safety, they had significant gaps in their knowledge.
	(Alhashim et al., 2022)	921	Consumers from food trucks	M & F	− Participants had moderate food safety knowledge levels. − Participants had poor knowledge about food handling practices − Educational level had positive effects on food safety knowledge levels.
	(Alsayeqh, 2015)	785	Women in households	F	− Participants had substantial gaps in food safety knowledge. − Poor translation of knowledge into practices (self-reported) was observed.
	(Mohamed, 2022) Mohamed, 2022	255	Consumers living in Rafha	M & F	− Participants had moderate food safety knowledge and practice levels.
UAE	(Osaili et al., 2022)	827	Women living in Dubai	F	− Participants had insufficient food safety knowledge and practice levels. − Educational level had positive effects on food safety knowledge.
	(Saeed et al., 2021)	656	Women living in Sharjah	F	− Participants demonstrated good knowledge of cross-contamination and foodborne diseases, but exhibited poor knowledge concerning the risk factors of foodborne illnesses.
	(Afifi & Abushelaibi, 2012)	600	Consumers living in Al Ain	M & F	− Participants demonstrated a moderate level of food safety knowledge. − Educational level had positive effects on knowledge.
	(Abushelaibi et al., 2016)	ND*	Students and teachers in schools	M & F	− Participants had insufficient knowledge about proper food storage.
Oman	(Al-Makhroumi et al., 2022)	297	Staff working at Sultan Qaboos University	F	− Participants had insufficient food safety knowledge. − Educational level had a significant impact on food safety knowledge levels.
Kuwait	(Ashkanani et al., 2021)	585	Students in the College of Basic Education	M & F	− Participants had insufficient overall food safety knowledge. − Poor food handling practices (self-reported) were observed.

M: Male, F: Female

Figure 1. PRISMA chart for article selection.

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Data availability

Data are from publicly available sources.