BackgroundAs in most of African countries, intestinal parasites have been widely distributed in Ethiopia and are among the 10 top causes of morbidity and mortality nationwide. Statistics for food-borne illness in various industrialized countries show that up to 60% of cases may be caused by poor food handling techniques and by contaminated food served in food service establishments. Epidemiological information on the prevalence of various intestinal parasitic infections in different regions/localities is a prerequisite to develop appropriate strategies.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the magnitude of intestinal parasites among food handlers working in different food service establishments in Gondar city.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with food handlers working in different food service establishments in Gondar city. Stool samples were collected from 350 food handlers and processed using the formol-ether concentration method and then microscopically examined for intestinal parasitic infections. Pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to study the socio-demographic characteristics of food handlers. Chi-square test andp-value were used to assess the associations between risk factors and the parasite isolation rate. Thep-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsOf the 350 food handlers, 160 (45.71%) had parasites. Among the isolated parasites,Ascaris lumbricoideswas found to be the most prevalent parasite 35.63%, followed by hookworm 19.38%,Entamoeba histolytica/dispar16.25%,Trichuris trichiura10.00%,Strongyloides stercoralis8.13%,Schistosoma mansoni6.88%, andCystoisospora belli, Hymenolepis nana, andTaeniaspecies each accounting 1.25%.ConclusionThe result of the study indicated that the magnitude of intestinal parasitosis among food handlers working at different levels of food establishments in Gondar, Ethiopia, was found to be high. Being at lower educational level and inactive role of the town's municipality are determined as a risk factor for parasitic positivity of food handlers.