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Background <p>Charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play a critical role in addressing food insecurity by distributing food to individuals in need. However, the full value of CFAPs’ contributions can only be achieved if food is handled safely to prevent foodborne illnesses and protect consumer health and well-being. Therefore, this study explored the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling within CFAPs in the eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.</p> Methods <p>We interviewed 18 purposively sampled food handlers from 12 CFAPs in the eThekwini District between January and April 2025, using semi-structured face-to-face in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted at participants’ usual places of work or food handling sites to promote openness and candid reflection on their experiences, practices, and perceptions regarding the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling. With participants’ informed consent, all interviews were audio-recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim to preserve the accuracy and depth of the data. Data was analysed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis, with QSR International’s NVivo 15 software supporting efficient coding and management.</p> Results <p>Categorised into two domains, namely: barriers to safe food handling and facilitators of safe food handling, our analysis produced five themes and six sub-themes. These were: (i) resource limitations (lack of basic infrastructure and equipment, inconsistency in donor support and food quality, and volunteerism and skillset), (ii) lack of regulatory oversight, (iii) mediating donor-CFAP relationship with safety-hunger dilemma, (iv) systems strengthening (implementation of SOPs, institutional strengthening through leadership development, and capacity-building trainings), and (v) collaboration and teamwork.</p> Conclusion <p>These findings underscore the complex interplay between structural and organizational factors that influence food safety and highlight the need for policy interventions and capacity-building strategies to safeguard food quality in charitable food settings. While cultural and socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, and lived experiences of food handlers were recorded, their influence on food safety practices was not explored in depth and warrants further investigation.</p>

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Food handlers’ insights into the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling in charitable food assistance programs in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月11日

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  • Sizwe Makhunga,
  • Khumbulani Hlongwana

摘要

Background

Charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play a critical role in addressing food insecurity by distributing food to individuals in need. However, the full value of CFAPs’ contributions can only be achieved if food is handled safely to prevent foodborne illnesses and protect consumer health and well-being. Therefore, this study explored the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling within CFAPs in the eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Methods

We interviewed 18 purposively sampled food handlers from 12 CFAPs in the eThekwini District between January and April 2025, using semi-structured face-to-face in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted at participants’ usual places of work or food handling sites to promote openness and candid reflection on their experiences, practices, and perceptions regarding the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling. With participants’ informed consent, all interviews were audio-recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim to preserve the accuracy and depth of the data. Data was analysed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis, with QSR International’s NVivo 15 software supporting efficient coding and management.

Results

Categorised into two domains, namely: barriers to safe food handling and facilitators of safe food handling, our analysis produced five themes and six sub-themes. These were: (i) resource limitations (lack of basic infrastructure and equipment, inconsistency in donor support and food quality, and volunteerism and skillset), (ii) lack of regulatory oversight, (iii) mediating donor-CFAP relationship with safety-hunger dilemma, (iv) systems strengthening (implementation of SOPs, institutional strengthening through leadership development, and capacity-building trainings), and (v) collaboration and teamwork.

Conclusion

These findings underscore the complex interplay between structural and organizational factors that influence food safety and highlight the need for policy interventions and capacity-building strategies to safeguard food quality in charitable food settings. While cultural and socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, and lived experiences of food handlers were recorded, their influence on food safety practices was not explored in depth and warrants further investigation.