Hygienic practices among poultry butchers

Introduction – Hygienic practices of poultry butchers is important in maintaining meat hygiene and preventing the meat as vehicle for zoonotic and infectious diseases. The objective of the study was to assess the hygienic practices of poultry butchers.Methodology – Two poultry meat shops were randomly selected from each of the 57 wards of Patna city. Their hygienic practices of butchers were observed for one hour by principal investigator.
Result – Among total 113 shops studied (One is missing), 31 % shops were in open space and 93.8% shops were located in market areas. It has been observed that only nineteen butchers (16.8%) had washed the carcass before evisceration and fourteen (12.4%) after evisceration. Overall, only seventeen (16%) butchers had cleaned their knife before each new period of work (during the slaughtering process). None of them had disinfected the knife, cutting slab or floor and the protective equipments. The mean overall hygienic score was 17 (range 9, 33) out of the expected maximum of 69. Infrastructural facilities, water availability, having valid license and hygienic perception of the butchers were found to have statistically significant association with overall hygienic score. Workload, as measured by the number of chickens slaughtered per day, had a positive correlation with hygienic practices. (Spearman's rank correlation – 0.44, P= 0.000).

Conclusion – Hygienic practices at the poultry butcheries in Patna (and probably in other Indian cities too) were dismally poor. Ensuring adequate amounts of water, compulsory licensing and job training for the butchers are the dare needs of today.