Abstract
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2009) reports that each year 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur with over 300,000 people hospitalized and 5000 deaths. This study, phase I of a continuing study, identifies key areas for food safety improvement. This study is designed as an exploratory evaluation of independently owned and operated delicatessen operations, using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as indicators to assess food handling and the public’s risk for pathogenic contamination from commonly served ready-to-eat/take-away foods. The analysis consisted of a comprehensive strategy of laboratory testing of samples for pathogenic contamination, informal field observation of food handling procedures, and the examination of the most recent health inspection reports for each of the 18 operations visited. The deli turkey, cream cheese and lettuce were tested using bacteria indicator plates. The results showed widespread levels of contamination. Of the 54 samples tested for Escherichia coli, 26 showed positive results which are ~45% for E. coli contamination. Of the 54 samples tested for Staphy-lococcus aureus, 31 showed positive results which are ~57% for S. aureus contamination. One issue discovered while conducting the study was the lack of consistent uniform international standards of contamination tolerance levels. The informal field observations and health report analyses revealed widespread temperature violations and numerous instances of poor food handling. The study offers independent practitioners a strategy designed to improve their health inspections scores, food handling, and mitigation of operator liability. Independent operators traditionally do not enjoy the resources of centralized supervision and expert on-staff training; yet in aggregate they account for significant volume in both dollars and the quantity of product served. This study adds needed scrutiny to this important food niche.
Highlights
Food safety research, both in the retail and foodservice sectors, has been geared toward chain operations
This study is designed as an exploratory evaluation of independently owned and operated delicatessen operations, using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as indicators to assess food handling and the public’s risk for pathogenic contamination from commonly served ready-to-eat/take-away foods
Of the 54 samples tested for Staphylococcus aureus, 31 showed positive results which are ~57% for S. aureus contamination
Summary
Food safety research, both in the retail and foodservice sectors, has been geared toward chain operations. Philips et al [3] further developed this reasoning as they postulated that large chain operators are considered the industry leaders, with corresponding high visibility and increased exposure and liability Their findings revealed that these large companies have routinely used their financial resources to institute standardized practices and formalize food safety policies and procedures both as a means to protect their public reputation and as the basis for a legal defense strategy. The presence of E. coli is a strong indication of poor quality food, food handling, and hygienic practices It can be detected by its ability to ferment sugar. It grows in a wide range of temperatures (7 ̊C to 48 ̊C), and has low pH, high salt and sugar content (up to 15%) It produces heat stable enterotoxins and is a very common cause of food-borne illness. The two indicators used in this study can provide insight on the quality of the food served and the hygiene of food handlers in independent deli operations
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