Assessment of Food Safety Practices, Associated Factors and Microbial Contamination of Fried Nile Perch in Mwanza City Markets: A Cross-Sectional Study

Unsatisfactory hygienic practices can lead to food-borne pathogen contamination in fish and fishery products, posing serious health concerns for consumers. This study assessed the food safety practices, their associated factors, and microbial contamination levels of fried Nile Perch in Mwanza City across three markets: Kirumba, Butimba, and Nyakato. A cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire examined the food safety practices of traders and processors, and their associated factors, including experience, income, and training. Standard methods for microbial analysis were conducted to determine the levels of coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. SPSS version 27 was used to compute the frequency and percentages. The factors and behaviours of fried Nile perch processors and traders were assessed using a 95% chi-square test. R software was employed to perform the Aligned Rank Transformation on market microbiological mean contamination. Tukey's Honest Significant Difference was employed for post hoc group comparisons. The results show that the transportation of raw fish at ambient temperature conditions showed a significant association across markets (X²=6.153, p=0.046), risking high levels of microbial contamination. Furthermore, tap water served as the predominant water source in the Butimba (88.9%), Kirumba (90%), and Nyakato (100%) marketplaces, despite the insufficient hand-washing facilities in the markets. Low income significantly affected the clear separation between storage and processing areas (X²=16.201, p=0.013), while insufficient training was related to inadequate temperature control (X²=6.032,p=0.014). Fried fish from all markets exceeded the safe limits of assessed microorganisms, with Nyakato having the highest levels of total plate count (9.53 log CFU/g), coliforms (8.74 log CFU/g), and S. aureus (5.51 log CFU/g), posing significant risks of food-borne illnesses upon consumption. Contamination levels differed significantly between markets (p<0.05), despite similar activities across locations. Consumers should reheat fried Nile perch before consumption to avoid foodborne illnesses, and the government should offer formal training in food safety and environmental cleanliness to food safety operators to facilitate compliance with safety regulations.