Food Safety Practices of Maize Farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study evaluated the food safety practices of maize farmers in Taraba state, Nigeria and employed multistage sampling procedure to select one-hundred and fifty-six respondents from six local government areas of Taraba State. Results were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and multiple regression model. Findings revealed that 56.4% of the respondents were male, 35.9% were between the ages of 28 and 37 years and had the annual income of ₦123,108.87. Use of organic agricultural methods in maize production (=2.42), not allowing animals marching through maize sprayed on a sheet and not drying of maize on dirty/filthy tarpaulins (=2.00) were the correct food safety practices used by the farmers while leaving maize to dry along the roadside on a bare ground (=1.77) was one of the wrong food safety practices. Family (58.3%), fellow farmers (54.1%), public sanitary and health authorities (53.2%) were sources of information on maize food safety practices by the respondents. Poor enforcement of food safety policies (=2.13) was a constraints to food safety practices. Age (p=0.090) and farm size (p=0.087) were factors influencing food safety practices of the respondents. The study concludes that the maize farmers practiced poor food safety practice of leaving maize to dry along the roadside on a bare ground and recommends that farmers should be well educated about the danger associated with poor food safety practice.