Investigation of the knowledge and understanding of hygiene practices amongst small-scale farmers producing ready to eat vegetables in the three regions of the Gauteng Province. Gauteng Province THE GAUTENG PROVINCE
Sibiya, Velile Zolile
Sibiya, Velile Zolile
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Abstract
Introduction:
Ready-to-eat vegetables are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. They provide significant nutritional benefits; however, they also pose serious challenges due to their susceptibility to contamination. These vegetables are usually eaten without further processing, making food safety a major concern. Most fresh produce used in ready-to-eat dishes, such as salads, undergoes minimal handling, often just washing before consumption. This limited processing increases the risk of contamination and emphasizes the importance of stringent hygiene measures during production, handling, and distribution.
This study aims to establish the current state of knowledge regarding hygiene practices and their application among small-scale farmers in the three regions of
Gauteng, South Africa. This study aimed to describe the current understanding of food hygiene in the handling and preparation of ready-to-eat vegetables. The objective was achieved through farm inspections and observational visits, as well as interviews with small-scale farmers. These methods were used to gather information on their knowledge, perceptions, and application of hygiene practices during the production of ready-to-eat vegetables in the study areas.
Materials and methods:
This study followed an empirical investigation setup, where a data-based collection approach was used to determine the population size (n=75) and the sample size from each region as follows: City of Tshwane (n=25), Ekurhuleni (n=25), and West Rand (n=25). Existing literature was consulted to compare and contextualise the observations made regarding hygiene practices. The participants were as follows: eighty percent (80%) came from the City of Tshwane, seventy-two percent (72%) from the City of Ekurhuleni, and eighty percent (80%) from the West Rand district. All interviews were conducted at the farms using a structured questionnaire, along with observations and inspections of each farm. All participants in all three regions answered the same questions. To ensure informed consent, each farmer was asked to sign a consent form indicating their agreement to participate in the investigation. To ensure participants fully
understood the study, consent forms were translated into Nguni languages (Zulu and Swati), which are commonly spoken by the target population. Farmers who agreed to take part in the investigation were also asked to grant permission for the researcher to capture still images as part of the data collection process. This was also clarified in the research participants' leaflet provided to the researcher during data collection.
Results:
The results of this study were as follows: eighty-six percent (86%) of the farmers indicated that they had been trained in basic food hygiene by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with ² =37.4533 and p=0.0001. During the inspection, the following was observed: eighty percent (80%) of the farmers adhered to the hygiene application, with ² =3.8533 and p=0.0001. Ninety percent (90%) of the participants had a stage in the process flow for the removal of physical hazards prior to packaging, with ² =111.4400 and p<0.0001. Participants used water to wash the products to remove dirt and soil, while the other ten percent (10%) did not use water, believing that it interferes with the shelf life of the ready-to-eat vegetables.
Conclusions:
The findings of this study revealed that small-scale farmers producing ready-to-eat vegetables in the three regions had predominantly received training in food hygiene and demonstrated a sound understanding. Farming support plays a significant role in equipping small-scale farmers, indicating that such interventions are effective in enhancing agricultural practices. However, there is still much more to be accomplished across the country, particularly in rural areas. The overall results indicated that most of the small-scale farmers producing ready-to-eat vegetables were trained in food hygiene, and that hygiene practices were observed. However, the minority that was not compliant had attitudes based more on beliefs than a lack of knowledge.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Maters in Environmental Health in the Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Science at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2025-06-01
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Tshwane University of Technology