Journal of Current Research in Food Science

Background: Home-based catering ventures (HBCVs) are expanding within Nigeria’s informal food economy yet domestic kitchens are rarely engineered for batch production holding or safe reheating. Evidence suggests a persistent gap between operators’ food-safety knowledge and their day-to-day practices. This study quantified knowledge–practice gaps among HBCVs in Kuje Area Council Abuja and examined determinants including training licensing/inspection socio-economic constraints and regulatory awareness.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-methods study (N = 180 HBCVs). A structured interview captured knowledge training/inspection exposure regulatory awareness and socio-demographics. Concurrent unobtrusive observation assessed practices across Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) domains: personal hygiene; cross-contamination control; time/temperature control; and cleaning/sanitation. Knowledge and practice were each scaled 0–100. The primary endpoint was the gap score (practice − knowledge). Secondary outcomes included “good practice” (≥80/100). Analyses used t-tests/ANOVA and multivariable linear/logistic regression with robust SEs adjusting for education income experience and workload. Ethical approval and written informed consent were obtained.

Results: Thirty-five percent reported recent food-safety training and 31.7% had active licensing/inspection. Mean knowledge and practice were similar overall (74.3 vs 74.3) but practice lagged knowledge in key domains: cross-contamination (55.2 vs 74.1; gap −18.9) time/temperature control (51.0 vs 69.3; gap −18.3) and personal hygiene (62.0 vs 78.5; gap −16.5). In adjusted models recent training (+6.10 points; p < 0.001) and licensing/inspection (+6.71; p < 0.001) independently reduced the gap while event-driven production surges widened it (−4.15; p < 0.001). Higher education income and regulatory awareness were positively associated with practice and attainment of “good practice.

Conclusions: HBCVs in Kuje demonstrate adequate knowledge but insufficient translation to risk-reducing behaviours concentrated in cross-contamination and time/temperature control. Structured training and active regulatory engagement are strongly associated with narrower gaps suggesting scalable levers for municipal programs. Priority actions include routine thermometry separation protocols sanitizer verification and supportive inspections tailored to micro-enterprise constraints.