In order to assess the level of food hygiene practices, the unit of analysis of this research was at
individual level. The targeted populations were operational food handlers working in government
institutions. For this research, food handlers are defined as anyone who is employed exclusively for food
preparation and services in kitchen and dining hall. This research was conducted cross-sectionally in
October 2012 and covered all 25 kitchens operations of government institutions in four Northern States of
Peninsular Malaysia: Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and Perak. Food service operations at these training centres
are held over three consecutive months for three times a year. All trainees solely rely on food and drink
provided by them. In general, the training centres have been in operation since 2003 and the kitchen
operation has been monitored by the MOH through ‘Latihan Kendiri’ (self-check) checklist. The
checklist contains food premise and food handlers’ hygiene elements.