This study was conducted to identify the current temperature control practices and determine the perceived barriers and motivators of school food handlers during cooking and holding process. A total of seven focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out with 64 food handlers using purposive sampling method from selected school canteens in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Audio-recordings were transcribed into verbatim, and data were analyzed using Atlas.ti software. Data-driven coding was done and independently coded by a second researcher to obtain intercoder reliability. Findings reveal that the participants do not use thermometer during cooking. Hot holding equipment (i.e., bain-marie) were not commonly used for students’ food. For the perceived barriers of thermometer use during cooking, time constraint was the most frequently mentioned barrier reported. Other barriers identified were inadequate knowledge, no thermometer, not a requirement, and inconvenience. The perceived barriers for using hot holding equipment were inadequate resources and uncertainty of business contract renewal. On the other hand, motivators to perform overall temperature control practices were determined: 1) law and enforcement, 2) customer satisfaction, 3) resources, 4) intrinsic motivation, and 5) knowledge and training. Findings from this study can be applied in food safety intervention programs to increase food handlers' compliance with proper temperature control practices.

The aim of the present work is to investigate the microbiological quality and safety of three main dishes served during Malay wedding banquets. The two selected Malay wedding banquets were each prepared by commercial catering services and ‘rewang’ activity (a group of voluntary cooks from the local community) in Selangor. Three types of the dish (chicken, vegetable and cooked rice) were sampled from both banquets and analysed for Total Plate Count (TPC), Total Coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. The dish samples were taken at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 hrs after serving. For catering, the TPC for chicken, vegetable and cooked rice at 0 hr were 6.39, 6.21 and 7.13 log CFU/g respectively. None of the samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp. or Listeria spp. The temperature of foods during the serving times averaged between 30 to 50°C which was conducive for bacterial proliferation.