A Training Framework for Food Handlers in the National School Nutrition Programme in Gauteng Province

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa spearheads the National School Nutrition Program (NSNP), which is a holistic endeavour geared towards offering nourishing meals to students enrolled in public schools situated within financially disadvantaged neighborhoods. The selective responsive cluster training framework (SRCTF) aims to enhance skills development and competencies of food handlers, considering professional and ethical aspects. The key output of the NSNP is dependent on the skills competency levels of food handlers. The aim of the study was to develop a SRCTF for the NSNP for food handlers in Gauteng Province. Using mixed methods in the form of a convergent parallel design, the study includes structured questionnaires administered to NSNP food handlers, nutrition teacher coordinators, and school principals. The study identified both professional and ethical competencies as crucial factors for training through varimax rotation of a Likert scale questionnaire with 30 questions. The findings of this study highlight the lack of comprehensive training among NSNP food handlers in Gauteng Province, which is a common issue across South Africa and other countries. Pearson Chi-Square for independence confirms a significant relationship between training and skills competence levels among food handlers. For all food preparation competencies, the p-values were 0.000, indicating a significant relationship between training (independent variable) and competence levels (dependent variable). In response, a Selective Responsive Cluster Training Framework (SRCTF) is proposed specifically for NSNP food handlers in Gauteng Province. The two main competencies of the SRCTF will be the professional and ethical competencies. The main custodian of the NSNP is the DBE which should create a conducive environment for the training of food handlers within the identified clusters. Implementation of this framework would improve the overall performance and effectiveness of the NSNP. The food handlers training could lead to standard setting and certification of the NSNP food handlers on training.