Abstract
The prominence of disease transmission between individuals in confined environments is a concern, particularly in the educational environment. With respect to school feeding schemes, food contact surfaces have been shown to be potential vehicles of foodborne pathogens. The aim of this study was to assess the cleanliness of the surfaces that come into contact with food that is provided to children through the National School Nutrition Programme in central South Africa. In each school under study, microbiological samples were collected from the preparation surface and the dominant hand and apron of the food handler. The samples were analysed for total viable counts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and yeasts and moulds. The criteria specified in the British Columbia Guide for Environmental Health Officers were used to evaluate the results. Total viable counts were high for all surfaces, with the majority of colonies being too numerous to count (over 100 colonies per plate). Counts of organisms were relatively low, with 20% of the surfaces producing unsatisfactory enumeration of S. aureus and E. coli and 30% unsatisfactory for coliforms. Yeast and mould produced 50% and 60% unsatisfactory counts from preparation surfaces and aprons, respectively. Statistically significant differences could not be established amongst microbial counts of the surfaces, which suggests cross-contamination may have occurred. Contamination may be attributed to foodstuffs and animals in the vicinity of the preparation area rather than to the food handlers, because hands had the lowest counts of enumerated organisms amongst the analysed surfaces.
Highlights
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a South African school feeding scheme aimed at alleviating poverty and improving learning capacity of children through school feeding.[1,2] The feeding scheme was introduced nationwide in 1994 and is funded through a provisional grant that is transferred to provinces according to the Division of Revenue Act as well as directives from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the National Treasury (Grant Framework 2010/11).[3,4] The DBE coordinates and oversees the programme, ensuring adherence to policies and relevant legislation through monitoring
40% of coliform counts were satisfactory and 20% were acceptable, whereas 30% were unsatisfactory and 10% were not detectable according to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) guide
60% of the E. coli counts for the preparation surfaces were satisfactory, 10% were acceptable, 20% were unsatisfactory and 10% were not detectable (Table 1)
Summary
The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a South African school feeding scheme aimed at alleviating poverty and improving learning capacity of children through school feeding.[1,2] The feeding scheme was introduced nationwide in 1994 and is funded through a provisional grant that is transferred to provinces according to the Division of Revenue Act as well as directives from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the National Treasury (Grant Framework 2010/11).[3,4] The DBE coordinates and oversees the programme, ensuring adherence to policies and relevant legislation through monitoring. The Provincial Education Departments are tasked with the procurement of goods and services for the NSNP while adhering to conditions stipulated by the Grant Framework.[3,4] Ntuli[5] explains that schools are funded according to a national system of ranking and funding of schools referred to as a quintile. The schools targeted for the NSNP are primary and secondary schools ranked in quintiles 1 to 3.3
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