Food safety learning needs and workplace training priorities in Indonesia’s school meal program

Abstract

This study identified food-safety learning needs and workplace-training priorities among 265 handlers from 21 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units in Bantul, Indonesia. A knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) questionnaire measured knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices; Spearman's ρ tested their relationships. Raw and cooked chicken from five units provided contextual microbiological evidence. Knowledge (91.3%) and reported practice (90.6%) were high, while attitudes were predominantly positive. Knowledge related moderately to attitude (ρ = .421) but weakly to self-reported practice (ρ = .247), while the attitude–practice relationship was also weak (ρ = .226; all p < .001), suggesting a potential gap between knowledge, attitudes, and reported workplace application. Raw chicken showed variable Escherichia coli and coliform counts; cooked samples were below the 10 colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) reporting limit, and all samples were negative for Salmonella spp. The findings inform proposed workplace-learning priorities, including demonstration, supervised practice, feedback, temperature control, sanitation verification, supplier assurance, and periodic monitoring.