Author(s): Kavya Gupta, M Rashid, MA Malik and HK Sharma

Abstract: The present study was conducted to assess the hygienic practices followed by the retailers in Jammu city. A structured questionnaire was developed to know the current status of hygiene and sanitation practices and another semi structured questionnaire was administered to know the risk factors of meat contamination. The butchers were randomly chosen and interviewed by visiting the retail shops/outlets. The data were coded, tabulated and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) and Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software. The survey revealed that all the butchers were male, mostly in the age group of 16-45 years. Majority of the butchers were trained by relatives and friends (73%). Sixty seven percent retail shops/outlets and slaughtering premises were in the market area and most of them (63%) were small structured. Most of the butchers (100%) were found using soaps and detergents (10%) for hand sanitization. Majority of the shops were operational with proper licensing from the Municipal Corporation authorities of the Jammu city.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i2Se.582