Food safety and hygiene practices in the preparation of chicken meat and tomatoes in Harar, Ethiopia: Development of a household food safety index

Foodborne diseases are a critical One Health challenge, with household food handling practices and environmental hygiene being responsible for the transmission of foodborne pathogens. This study assessed household food hygiene practices during chicken and tomato meal preparation in Harar, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 252 urban households. Several high-risk practices were identified, including inadequate separation of raw and cooked foods; notably 74% of households used the same cutting board for meat and vegetables, and 35% reported inconsistent surface cleaning. A Household Good Food Hygienic Practices (HGFHP) index comprising 39 variables was developed as a measure of food safety behaviour. Households with good hygienic practices tended to have good neighbourhood infrastructure, access to food safety information from television. Unexpectedly, having no formal education was associated with better hygiene scores, as was being unconcerned about home slaughter as a risky practice. Findings revealed persistence of traditional food practices alongside modernization, with universal access to televisions and clean water. Television emerged as a key source of food safety information. Strong correlation between hygiene scores for chicken and tomatoes suggests common behavioural pathways affecting food safety across both food types. Targeted interventions, including mass media education and infrastructure improvements, are needed to improve household food safety and reduce the large and neglected burden of foodborne disease in Africa.