RESUMO
It is thought that the sanitary perception and hygienic food treatment of food suppliers as the first handlers of foodstuffs are extremely significant for the safe and sanitary management of food in group meal services. So in this study, a survey of 103 food suppliers who provide raw materials for 80 meal services in business places around Buasn area was conducted on general matters, participation in sanitation education, sanitary perception, sanitary treatment of foodstuffs, knowledge of sanitation, etc. The results of the survey are as follows: 1. 42.7% of the subjects have worked for the food supply companies for one to five years and the main job of 36.9% of them is delivery service. Food suppliers who handle over two foodstuffs are 6839%. 2. Concerning the participation in sanitation education, 43.7% of the subjects have not experienced any such education, The reason of 23.3% of them for not having the education is that there have been no opportunity for them at all. And 83.5% of them regard the education on hygiene as necessary. 3. In the sanitary perception, 93.1% of the subjects considered the temperature control of the food delivery vehicles as important and 82.5% of them replied on of the leading causes of food poisoning as foodstuffs. 64.0% thought of their knowledge of food sanitation as not very good, but moderate. 4. Concerning sanitary treatment of foodstuffs, 50.5% of delivery vehicles were wearing sanitary uniforms and 24.3% of them washed their hands while supplying food. 5. In the score of hygienic knowledge, the average score of all food suppliers was 60.6 point. In the score of hygienic knowledge on general matters, managing supervisors got 6.31+/-1.81, meat suppliers scored 7.08+/-1.37 and suppliers with 5 to 10 year careers recorded the highest point, 6.37+/-1.70. In the score of hygienic knowledge based on the perception of food sanitation, the food suppliers with the experience of sanitation education scored 6.42+/-1.93 point and the point was significant(p<0.01), compared with that of the food suppliers without the experience of sanitation education. The food suppliers who answered their knowledge was very good scored the highest point, 8.00+/-1.41. The food suppliers who replied that sanitation education was truly necessary recorded the hygienic knowledge score of 6.75+/-1.77, significantly(p<0.01) high. In the score of hygienic knowledge on the basis of the practical degree of sanitary handling of food materials, the food suppliers who answered they cleaned their delivery vehicles everyday scored 6.48+/-1.93, the food suppliers who answered they sterilized their delivery vehicles everyday scored 6.29+/-1.89, the food suppliers who answered they controlled the themperature of their delivery vehicles irregularly scored 6.58+/-1.79 and the food suppliers who answered they washed their hands every time when they were working scored 6.86+/-2.24, significantly(p<0.05) high in comparison with every item in other factors. And the food suppliers who answered they were wearing sanitary uniforms irregularly while suplying foodstuffs scored the highest point, 6.66+/-2.92.