Evaluating Nutrition Students’ Knowledge of Food Safety in Indonesia: Multi-Strata Comparison Review

Abstract

Background and Objective: Knowledge of food safety is one of many requirements that nutrition students should master. The quality of food organization and community education associated with food safety depend on the quality of the educator (in this context, nutrition students), whereas the quality of nutrition graduates depends on the educational quality of the school. This study aimed to evaluate the food safety knowledge of all students with a nutrition major in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a random cluster sampling method. The research sample size was 482 students, consisting of 3 nutrition educational strata (associate degree D3; bachelor degrees D4 and bachelor degrees S1) in 6 major island clusters in Indonesia (Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, Papua). Sample respondents were asked to answer a validated food safety knowledge questionnaire. Food safety knowledge differences among the 3 strata were measured with an ANOVA test. Results: Bachelor degree (S1) respondents had the highest results (5.84±1.52) compared to associate degree (D3) (5.46±1.76) and bachelor degree (D4) respondents (5.52±1.49). However, no significant knowledge difference among the groups was found [F(2.479) = 2.83, p = 0.06]. The mean scores of food safety knowledge of nutrition students at various levels of education (D3, D4 and S1) were 5.46, 5.52 and 5.84, respectively. Conclusion: A specific program should be implemented to improve food safety knowledge among Indonesian nutrition students. Food safety components, such as food storage principles, safe food consumption principles, food-borne disease principles, handling food at risk of microbes causing food-borne disease and subjects at risk of food-borne disease, seem to influence food safety knowledge among Indonesian nutrition students.