FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND THE SAFE FOOD HANDLING BEHAVIOURS OF FEMALE AND MALE CONSUMERS

Objective: to observe the food safety knowledge of female and male consumers and to investigate the application of food safety. methodology: the study was conducted in ankara, the capital of turkey. one thousand and eighty male and 1064 female consumers (a total of 2144) were randomly selected for this study. questionnaires were used with face-to-face interviews and the study was conducted from march to november 2008. results: whereas the knowledge of food safety in males and females was similar, the practice of safe food preparation was at a higher level in females. while food safety knowledge scores were related to age and education levels, scores for safe food practice were related to age, education level and gender (p<0 .05). conclusion: consumers need to learn about safe food handling procedures to maintain their health now and in the future. males and females may have some knowledge of proper techniques and acceptable steps when it comes to food handling, yet this knowledge may not be fully shared with each other enough to have a significant impact on their behaviors/attitude in a positive manner.