CHAPTER ONE
1.0INTRODUCTION
Food handlers with poor personal hygiene working in food service establishment could be potential sources of infection due to pathogenic organisms. Microbial contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminthes constitutes the major cause of food borne disease with varying degree of severity ranging from mild indisposition to chronic or life threatening illness or both in developing countries such as cholera, campylobacterosis,E.coli, gastroenteritis, Salmonellosis, Shigella, typhoid fever, brucellosis, ameobiasis and poliomyelitis (Edema et al, 2000).
     Aerobic colony counts, coliform and enterococci enumeration are useful and most often used as a means of assuming overall sanitation in the environments of food service establishment (moyo and baudi, 2004). The presence of indicator organisms, pathogens, a high bacteria count in food contact surfaces, equipment and utensils provide a direct and relevant measures of cleaning efficiency and hygiene (moyo and baudi, 2004). However when a contamination of food by pathogen occurs in a canteen, restaurants or fast food, improper sanitation, cross contamination and long interval between preparation and consumption a large number of people over a wide area will be affected (Bean et al, 1990).
1.1STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Observation shows that most of the food handlers within the institute premises lack personal hygiene, which is one of the contributing factors of food borne illness and poor hand washing, is a significant contributory factor.
     Another aspect of food service that frequently causes comment is the way food handlers within the institute premises prepares the food, takes the money for the purchase returns change to the customer and then prepares food for the next customer, this is also a means of transferring microorganisms since anything that gets on money gets on the hands.