Assessment of food safety knowledge and hygiene practices among poultry butchers in Chennai and its public health implications

Chicken meat is common in human diets in Tamil Nadu, India, and poultry butchers play a vital role in food safety and prevention of meat-borne diseases. To assess food safety knowledge and hygiene practices among butchers, a survey was conducted from November 2022 to July 2023. A randomly selected panel of 375 poultry butchers was identified and interviewed from organized meat shops distributed across Chennai city, Tamil Nadu. The respondents were selected based on their active role in the slaughtering and butchering process. The survey revealed the slaughtering and butchering performed by males (100%), which indicate significant gender bias, although women accounted for 16%, of the shop ownership. The majority of the respondents were young adults (20–30 years) and had undergone elementary education (62%), with an average experience (10–15 years) of poultry meat handling (65%); they have not attended any formal biosecurity training (93%). Despite the lack of training, 79% of respondents were aware that washing hands before slaughtering the meat can limit the risk of food contamination. But the study highlights there is an inconsistent usage of gloves (91%), face masks (66%), and hair covers (71%) among the respondents as a significant presence of rodent infestations (56%), which indicates the knowledge-practice gap. Additionally, a notable hygienic practice identified is that 100% of respondents (currency notes and coins) have a unique habit of handling currency transactions while processing the meat, which may increase the risk of foodborne pathogens to the consumer. Among the interviewed butchers, some were unaware of poultry diseases (43%), and disappointedly, they responded to the poultry diseases as heat stress and nasal discharge (57%), highlighting the knowledge gap in disease and management. Statistical analysis revealed a positive association between educational level and theoretical understanding, as they are not experienced in good management practices, which suggests there is a need for regular hands-on training and monitoring to deliver hygienic poultry meat to the poultry meat consumers.