Evaluation of sanitation knowledge and practices of restaurant kitchen staff in South Korea

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the sanitation knowledge and practice of staff who work in restaurant kitchens and to suggest sanitation management plans and efficient ways to enhance sanitation knowledge and practice in the restaurant industry. Design/methodology/approach – The survey research was conducted using a questionnaire composed of 73 questions in three areas of general information, sanitation knowledge, and sanitation practices. The respondents were selected from among kitchen staff working in restaurants that were both at least 198 m2 in size and listed in the Korean Foodservice Information database. The collected data were analyzed to identify the differences between sanitation knowledge and practices. Findings – The results showed that the respondents were well aware of the importance of sanitation during food preparation and cooking whereas they had a relatively lack of personal hygiene. Age and education level of kitchen staff correlated with sanitation knowledge and prac...