Assessment of indicators and prerequisite programs for food safety and hygiene in fruit and vegetable fields of Tehran city in 2022

Compliance with the principles of food safety and hygiene is very important in the entire chain of production, storage, transportation and supply of food to ensure the safety and suitability of food to ensure the health of consumers. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for health and food safety in the fruit and vegetable fields of Tehran in 2022.

A descriptive-analytical study on 67 fruit and vegetable centers in Tehran city regarding the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for food safety and hygiene, such as the condition of buildings and facilities, employee training, employee health, food quality control, control of environmental pests, waste disposal and work environment hygiene were done. First, a questionnaire was prepared and its validity was confirmed by the opinion of five experts, as well as its reliability tool with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.87, then the questionnaire was completed and the necessary data was recorded. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.

The results showed that the favorable condition of buildings and facilities, employee education, employee health, food quality control, environmental pest control, waste disposal and workplace hygiene were 67.16%, 26.85%, 50.20%,67.91%, 43.65%, 58.39% and 63.11%, respectively. So the indicators of building and facilities, food quality control, food consumption and work environment with an average of more than a percentage are acceptable. However, the indicators of care education and combating environmental chastity have been evaluated as unfavorable

Knowing the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for food safety and hygiene in the fruit and vegetable fields of Tehran city can help to improve food safety and health. Also, the desirability of indicators of buildings and facilities, food quality control, waste disposal and workplace hygiene affect the supply and distribution of healthy food. It is also recommended to pay more attention to raising the level of education in the care and methods of environmental pest control in fruit and vegetable fields.