<![CDATA[Background: Fish is a perishable food commodity, potentially encouraging inappropriate practices, such as the addition of hazardous substances such as formalin to maintain freshness. This situation poses health risks and remains a concern in food safety in Indonesia. Purpose: To analyze the relationship between knowledge and attitudes of traders regarding the use of formalin in milkfish and mackerel sold. Method: This quantitative analytical study used a cross-sectional design. The study population included all milkfish and mackerel traders operating in traditional markets in the Surakarta region. Sampling was conducted using accidental sampling, selecting 48 traders as respondents. Data were collected using a questionnaire to determine traders' knowledge and attitudes, and a formalin rapid test kit to detect formalin content in fish samples sold. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and odds ratio (OR) with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Shows the average age of respondents is 47.56 years with a standard deviation of ±10.78 years and most respondents are in the age range of 36-50 years, namely 47.9%. The majority of respondents are female, as many as 72.9%, most respondents' education is high school, as many as 47.9%, and most respondents have traded for ≥ 5 years, as many as 93.8%. Most respondents have aspects of knowledge in the good category, as many as 29 respondents (60.4%) and the majority for the attitude aspect of respondents who are in the good category, as many as 27 respondents (56.2%). There is a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude (p = 0.005). Based on the chi-square test of the relationship between aspects of knowledge and attitude, the value of p = 0.005 (<0.05) and the odds ratio (OR) value of 5.688. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between traders' knowledge and attitudes toward the use of formalin in fishery products. Traders with good knowledge are 5,688 times more likely to have attitudes that support food safety compared to traders with less knowledge. The results showed that all fish samples did not contain formalin, indicating that food safety conditions at the study site are relatively good. Suggestion: Relevant institutions are expected to provide more applicable education to the public to strengthen prevention efforts and maintain food safety. Keywords: Attitude; Fish Traders; Food Additives; Formalin; Knowledge.]]>
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