Assessment of Hygienic Practices and Microbiological Quality of Food in an Institutional Food Service Establishment

Abstract

Safe food handling in school kitchens is an important practice to protect the students from foodborne illnesses. Bacterial count in prepared food is a key factor in assessing the quality and safety of food. It also reveals the level of hygiene adopted by food handlers in the course of preparation of such foods. A case study research was conducted to examine the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers and bacterial contaminations in food from two women's hostel kitchens at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) Allahabad, India. Questionnaires regarding food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices were administered to all the 25 food handlers working at these two kitchens (18 (72%) from old and 7 (28%) from new women's hostel kitchens) through in-person interviews. A total of 72 cooked food samples (36 from each kitchen) were analyzed for evidence of contamination (total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli). The majority of the food handlers did not used good food handling practices and did not practice proper personal hygiene, because majority of them had poor knowledge and attitudes regarding food safety. All the cooked food samples tested had total APC, coliform, and E. coli levels higher than acceptable. The study results, therefore, call for stringent supervision and implementation of food safety practices. Periodic trainings on personal hygiene and good food handling practices will play a pivotal role in improving the safety of the prepared meals in these kitchens.

Good Manufacturing Practices and Microbial Contamination Sources in Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Puree Processing Plant in Kenya

“…Even though there is limited data on safe microbial tolerable limits for food ingredients and food contact/preparation surfaces, some standards and regulations have been developed and adopted in some countries based on specifications provided by the International Commission for Microbiological Specification and other research studies. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand [ 45 ], Centre for Food Safety [ 46 ], and Idris Ali and Immanuel [ 47 ], the levels considered acceptable/satisfactory in RTE foods are <10 4 cfu for total viable counts, <10 2 cfu for yeasts and molds, <20 cfu for E. coli and coliforms, <10 2 cfu for Enterobacteriaceae, and <10 2 cfu for S. aureus . The European Commission [ 48 ] previously suggested microbial level ranging from 0 to 10 cfu/cm 2 on food equipment and food preparation surfaces and in processing environments as acceptable.…”

Personal Hygiene Practices of Food Handlers and the Bacteriological Quality (Escherichia coli) of the Vegetable Salad in Private Hospitals’ in Mombasa County

“…In another study, the majority of food handlers did not practice proper personal hygiene and good food handling habits because they had little knowledge and attitudes about food safety. The total aerobic bacteria count (APC), coliform and E. coli levels of all analysed cooked food samples were above the acceptable level (Ali & Immanuel, 2017).…”

“…In addition, in some cases, microbial food safety has not been routinely implemented due to lack of infrastructure and effective food safety regulations and standards. Ali and Immanuel (2017) conducted a case study on two kitchens hostels for women at the Sam Higginbottom University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SHUATS) in Allahabad, India. Hygiene practices and microbiological quality of food in institutional food service establishments were evaluated.…”

Food Hygiene at On-Site Premises in Perak and Selangor: Are We Ready for Self-Regulatory Practices?

“…The significant presence of coliforms on food contact surfaces of all the Institutional Foodservice Establishments reported in this study clearly shows that coliforms are present everywhere in the kitchen especially considering that a kitchen is well equipped with a great variety of utensils and equipment. The existence of Coliform is associated with secondary contamination which is caused by secondary processing and poor personal hygiene, as well as the inadequate sanitisation of surfaces or equipment or an ineffective sanitation program (Ali & Immanuel, 2017;Nhlapo et al, 2014). Furthermore, coliforms, including E. coli are microorganisms found in the intestinal tract of humans and animals.…”