Table 2.

Knowledge of participants of meat handling

Questions	n	Category	Participants (n)	Percentage (%)
1. When is the best time to buy raw meat?	1557	At the beginning of the shopping, then shop for the rest	50	3.2
		At the end of the shopping just before heading home	775	49.8
		Whenever as long as separate from other products	507	32.6
		Does not matter	225	14.5
2. You wash the chicken to:	1556	Remove blood	64	4.1
		Wash to be safe	404	26.0
		I don’t normally wash	1077	69.2
		Remove odour	11	0.7
3. For raw frozen chicken, how do you thaw before cooking?	1555	I defrost them in the water in the sink	154	9.9
		I defrost them in the fridge	754	48.5
		I thaw them leaving overnight at room temperature	613	39.4
		I don’t thaw, I cook from frozen	34	2.2
4. How do you tell; your chicken is properly cooked?	1551	Visual check	489	31.5
		When juice run clear	771	49.7
		I know by touching it	63	4.1
		Length of cooking	228	14.7
5. Recommended temperature for properly cooked chicken is	1555	At least 60 ℃ on the surface	34	2.2
		At least 75 ℃ in the middle	681	43.8
		At least 80 ℃ at the saucepan	143	9.2
		I don’t know	697	44.8
6. While the food is kept under refrigeration if the pathogen/ bugs present in the food, they can	1553	Grow	532	34.3
		not grow	458	29.5
		be killed by cold temperature	217	14.0
		Don’t know	346	22.3
7. A meat thermometer or digital food probe can be used to determine if the meat is cooked	1553	It is only for restaurant use	84	5.4
		I confident with my own method	1011	65.1
		I have one, I am using it	407	26.2
		It is a waste of money to buy one	51	3.3
Total Pass		662		44.9
Mean score ± standard deviation		3.22 ± 1.64

Passing scores: 4 or more correct answers out of 7 questions

The correct answers are highlighted in bold