Introduction

Foodborne disease (FBD) is of public health importance in developed and developing nations because of increased morbidity and mortality rates worldwide1. Foodborne illnesses are more prevalent in developing countries because of poor hygiene, a lack of potable drinking water, contamination of inappropriate food storage facilities, and a lack of food safety education2. Every year, millions of people fall ill and are hospitalized, and many die from foodborne diseases and illnesses because of the consumption of contaminated food3. According to the World Health Organization4, contaminated food causes an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illness and 420,000 deaths globally each year. Alarmingly, children under the age of five account for 30% of these deaths, despite representing only 9% of the global population. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, approximately 100 million people are affected by foodborne illnesses annually, including 32 million children under five. In addition to people suffering severely from FBD, the economic impact it poses cannot be overemphasized. A country’s vibrant workforce and the costs involved in prevention, treatment, product recall, and investigations place enormous financial burdens not only on governments but also on consumers and the food industry5.

Background

Contamination during food preparation is a significant cause of foodborne illnesses, often linked to food handlers who may act as carriers of pathogens6. Food handlers play a critical role in transmitting foodborne pathogens to consumers, particularly when they lack sufficient awareness of food safety practices7. As direct contacts with food, food workers are pivotal in preventing foodborne diseases. A report on foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States indicates that food prepared at restaurants was responsible for approximately 56.0% of these outbreaks, with 79% of them occurring in restaurants offering seating. The most commonly cited contributing factor was poor food handling and preparation practices (61%). A study found that food workers were responsible for 25% of outbreaks8. In Taiwan, a study on foodborne illness outbreaks from 2014 to 2018 suggested that 34.6% of cases were linked to restaurant food practices9. Common causes of foodborne diseases include purchasing food from unreliable sources, undercooking or insufficiently reheating food, storing food at room temperature, cross-contamination, inadequate personal hygiene, and improper food handling techniques—practices closely associated with food handlers10,11,12. A study conducted in Jordan found that food safety knowledge and hygiene practices among food handlers in restaurants were suboptimal, with a significant correlation between their level of education and the implementation of proper food safety practices. The study highlighted that many food workers lacked awareness of key hygiene principles, such as handwashing and avoiding cross-contamination, leading to an increased risk of foodborne illnesses in the region13. Students studying culinary arts, hospitality, and food and beverage management are key groups of concern in foodborne disease prevention. These students typically go on to hold managerial positions or work as food handlers in the hospitality industry, such as in hotels and restaurants. This study aims to food safety knowledge, attitudes, and hygiene practices among hospitality students in Jordan.

Materials and methods

Study design

This study employed a cross-sectional design.

Study sample

The study was conducted at the School of Hospitality and Tourism at Luminus Technical University College, Jordan. The study participants were students enrolled in three programs: Culinary Arts, Food and Beverage, and Hotel Management. These students were in their first, second, or third years, as no students had yet graduated from the four-year program. The total student population at the college was 440, with 260 students enrolled in Culinary Arts, 49 in Food and Beverage, and 131 in Hotel Management.

Study tool

The study utilized a self-administered questionnaire, adapted from previous studies by Giritlioglu et al.14 and Panchal et al.15. The questionnaire was validated through expert reviews and a pilot study conducted with 30 students. Reliability testing yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87, indicating high reliability.

The questionnaire was structured into four main sections:

Section A: This section gathered sociodemographic information, including age, gender, academic level, and other relevant variables, to profile the participants.

Section B: This section assessed students’ knowledge of food safety through 14 items. Participants were asked to select one of three response options: True, False, or Do not know. Higher scores indicated better knowledge of food safety.

Section C: This section examined students’ attitudes toward safe food production through nine statements. Respondents indicated their level of agreement using the options: Agree, Have no idea, or Do not agree. Higher scores reflected more positive attitudes toward food safety.

Section D: This section evaluated students’ personal hygiene practices using four items rated on a 5-point Likert scale: Never1, Rarely2, Sometimes3, Mostly4, and Always5. A score of 4 or 5 was considered good practice, 1 or 2 as poor practice, and a score of 3 indicated a moderate or neutral level of practice.

Data collection

The data collection was conducted using the validated questionnaire, which was distributed to students in the three programs, from April 1 to April 17, 2024. The questionnaires were administered during regular class hours, and students were informed of the study’s purpose and asked to participate voluntarily. Data were collected anonymously to ensure privacy and encourage honest responses.

Statistical analysis

All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows (version 25.0, USA). Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were calculated for continuous variables (e.g., age and knowledge scores) to summarize the central tendency and dispersion of the data. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test, with results expressed as numbers and percentages. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses.

Results

Four sections were used to analyze the findings:(1) demographic characteristics of the study participants;(2) students’ knowledge of the manufacture of safe food;(3) safe food production practices; and (4) personal hygiene practices.

Section A: demographic characteristics of the participants

Considering the study participants in Table 1, the majority of the respondents were male (68.4% male; 31.6% female). More than half (64.1%) of the students were 20 years of age or older. In terms of educational level, 32.1% of the students were in their second year of college, and 56.9% of the students were in their first year. Concerning study specialization, the majority of the students studied culinary arts (65.6%), hotel and event management (25.4%), and food and beverage management (9.1%). Considering the food safety education course, 82% of the students had food safety training in the first semester of their education journey (data not included).

Table 1 Characteristics of the study participants (n = 209).
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Section B: students’ knowledge of the manufacture of safe food

First-year students had a higher agreement with food preparation principles than third-year students (P = 0.001). Culinary Arts students demonstrated better food preparation methods than other specializations (P = 0.004). Older students (≥ 20 years) had better preparation methods than younger students (P = 0.004). Table 2.

Table 2 Students’knowledge of the manufacture of safe food (n = 209).
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Culinary arts students showed the highest agreement rates, likely due to their hands-on experience with whole food preparation. Food & Beverage Management students were the most certain, as indicated by the absence of “Do Not Know” responses in some categories. Significant differences were found in P2 (p = 0.036), P7 (p = 0.005), and P9 (p = 0.489, borderline significance). Table 3.

Table 3 Student methods for preparing whole food (n = 209).
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Overall, students exhibit strong personal hygiene habits, with most responding “Always” across all four hygiene practices. 3rd-year students show slightly lower adherence, indicating that senior students might need reinforcement of hygiene training. Study specialization and gender do not significantly influence hygiene practices. Only P10 (general hygiene practice) showed a significant difference based on education level (p = 0.015). Table 4.

Table 4 Student personal hygiene practices (n = 209).
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Discussion

The findings from this study demonstrate the participants’ awareness, attitudes, and practices concerning food hygiene, which are critical to ensuring food safety and preventing foodborne diseases. The study underscores the importance of food hygiene education and its impact on the knowledge and behaviors of students involved in food production.

Domain knowledge

The results revealed a high level of domain knowledge among the students regarding various aspects of food hygiene. For instance, 75.6% of participants agreed that ignoring food hygiene rules during food production could lead to foodborne diseases. This aligns with the findings of Giritlioglu et al.14, who reported that 90.2% of cookery students acknowledged this risk, and 86.6% of students correctly identified that improper heating of food causes foodborne illness.

However, discrepancies in knowledge were observed in certain areas. For example, only 31.1% of students knew the correct temperature for holding hot ready-to-eat food, which is approximately 60 °C, while other study found that a higher percentage (38.8%) of students were aware of the correct temperature16. This highlights an area where knowledge gaps exist, emphasizing the need for better educational interventions on the importance of food temperature control in preventing bacterial proliferation.

The findings also showed a lack of understanding about the role of food workers in foodborne disease transmission. For instance, only 63.6% correctly identified that foodborne bacteria are not solely carried by patients. The results were similar to the findings, who reported higher awareness (78.2%) among participants17. These results suggest a gap in knowledge about the risks posed by unsanitized food workers, underscoring the need for further education on the role of food handlers in the contamination process.

Attitude

The students demonstrated a generally positive attitude towards food hygiene practices. A substantial majority of the students, 94.7%, displayed a high level of attention to personal hygiene, which is consistent with the findings14,18. This indicates that students recognize the importance of personal hygiene in preventing foodborne diseases, reflecting a positive attitude toward ensuring safe food production.

Furthermore, most participants (96.6%) acknowledged that injuries to hands or fingers could lead to serious foodborne diseases, showcasing an understanding of the potential risks associated with food production. Similarly, 92.3% of students reported not participating in food production when experiencing symptoms like the flu, cold, or diarrhea, illustrating their awareness of the contagious nature of illnesses.

These positive attitudes were significantly associated with their level of education and study specialization, highlighting the importance of formal food safety education in shaping students’ attitudes toward food safety practices.

Practice

The students’ practices regarding food hygiene were largely in line with their attitudes, although some areas indicated room for improvement. A majority of the students (91.9%) reported consistently using personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, aprons, and caps when handling food, a practice critical for preventing cross-contamination. This practice is higher than the findings from study16, where only 81.7% of students reported using protective gear when dealing with raw food.

Moreover, 95.7% of students claimed to always maintain a clean workspace, a practice that aligns with the findings of Giritlioglu et al.14, who also found a high level of cleanliness in food production areas. This suggests that students are well-versed in maintaining sanitary environments during food preparation.

However, when it comes to personal hygiene practices like changing uniforms after food preparation, 80.9% of students reported always changing their uniforms, which is a slightly lower figure compared to Giritlioglu et al.14, where 92.7% of students always changed their uniforms. Additionally, only 80.4% of students consistently cleaned their hands after sneezing or coughing, which is better than Terkuran’s16 findings, but still leaves room for improvement in hand hygiene practices.

Interestingly, 91.9% of students reported always brushing their nails, indicating an awareness of personal cleanliness, although 6.7% admitted they brushed their nails only “mostly.” This finding suggests that while there is a strong emphasis on hygiene, students may not always pay equal attention to every aspect, such as nail hygiene, which is essential for reducing the risk of contamination in food preparation.

Limitations

While this study provides valuable insights into the food safety awareness of hospitality students, several limitations must be acknowledged. First, the research was conducted within a single vocational school in Amman, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. To develop a more comprehensive understanding of food safety education in Jordan, future studies should involve larger and more diverse samples from multiple universities and geographic regions.

Second, the study relied primarily on self-reported data collected through questionnaires, which can introduce biases such as social desirability or inaccurate self-assessment. Participants may overestimate their knowledge or misreport their practices to align with perceived expectations. Therefore, future research should incorporate direct observational methods, such as in-class food preparation assessments, or structured simulations, to gain a more accurate picture of students’ actual hygiene behaviors and competencies.

Additionally, the study did not explore the long-term retention of food safety knowledge post-graduation or its translation into workplace behavior. Longitudinal studies could investigate how academic training translates into real-world food safety practices in professional kitchens and hospitality settings.

Finally, integrating a qualitative component, such as interviews or focus groups, could help uncover students’ perceptions, challenges, and motivations related to food hygiene, offering a more nuanced understanding of how and why certain practices are adopted—or neglected.

Conclusion

This study highlights both strengths and areas for improvement in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to food safety among hospitality management students in Amman, Jordan. While general hygiene practices—such as handwashing, workspace cleanliness, and use of personal protective equipment—were found to be satisfactory, notable deficiencies were identified in specific areas of food safety knowledge, including correct food storage temperatures, thawing methods, and the understanding of bacterial proliferation. A particularly concerning finding was the lack of consistency in students’ understanding of critical control points in food safety, such as the dangers of refreezing thawed food, the use of the same cutting surfaces for different types of meat, and the risks posed by working while ill. Although students demonstrated high awareness regarding personal hygiene, their knowledge of microbiological risks and food handling procedures was often incomplete or outdated. Disparities in knowledge and practice were significantly associated with variables such as year of study, educational specialization, and gender. Interestingly, first-year students often performed better on certain knowledge-based questions, possibly due to recent exposure to food safety curricula. This trend suggests potential issues with knowledge retention or a lack of progressive reinforcement as students advance through their academic programs. Furthermore, culinary arts students consistently outperformed their peers in hotel, event, and food & beverage management, indicating a gap in domain-specific training across specializations.