Food sanitation practices in restaurants of Ramallah and Al-Bireh district of Palestine

Safe handling of food in restaurants is a basic element in the reduction of foodborne illness.We investigated knowledge and practices about food safety by food-handlers in restaurants in Ramallahand Al-Bireh district of Palestine. A high proportion of workers in the restaurants had no previous experiencein other restaurants and 63.4% had received no training on food sanitation and safety. Most ofthe restaurants in the refugee camps, villages and towns had only 1 worker. Restaurants lacked basicconditions for food sanitation and safety, such as hot water in most and cleaning materials in some.Many workers had poor personal hygiene practices. Training is needed for restaurant owners and staffto improve food handling practices and standards