Improve Food Hygiene Research Articles

Spine layout design for improving food hygiene and reducing travelled distances in a small-scale burger patties processing

Spine layout design for improving food hygiene and reducing travelled distances in a small-scale burger patties processing

Socio-demographic factors and availability of piped fountains affect food hygiene practice of food handlers in Bahir Dar Town, northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundMorbidity and mortality rates of food borne diseases are consistently highest in African due to poor food handling and sanitation practices. Thus, the study aimed to assess food handling practice and associated factors among food handlers of Restaurants in Bahir Dar Town, northwest, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December, 7/2012 to January, 2/2013 among food handlers working in 106 restaurants in Bahir Dar Town. A structured questionnaire composed of socio-demographic factors, food safety knowledge, working environmental characteristics and food hygiene practice of food handlers was employed to collect the data via interviewing and observations. Binary logistic regression model was fitted to assess factors associated with food hygiene practice after multi-collinearity and outlier were checked and data was clean. Both crude odds ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) were estimated to show the strength of association. In multivariate analysis, variables with a P value of ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistical significant.ResultsAbout 67.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 58.8, 76.4] of food handlers had good food hygiene practice, whereas 32.4% of food handlers had poor food hygiene practice. The odds of having good food hygiene practice was higher among food handlers who had received food safety training [AOR: 4.7, 95% CI 1.7, 12.8], had formal education [AOR: 6.4, 95% CI 3.5, 11.5] and work experiences greater than 2 years [AOR: 3.4, 95% CI 1.8, 6.4]. At last, food handlers working in restaurants which had piped fountains for hand wash were 2.1 times more likely to have good food hygiene practice[AOR: 2.1, 95% CI 1.1, 3.8].ConclusionIn this study, the overall food hygiene practice of food handlers is not to the acceptable level. Therefore, endeavors ought to be reinforced to improve food hygiene practices of food handlers through intervention programs such as training and education. Also emphasis should be given on the accessibility of piped fountains for the better food handling practice of food handlers.

Hepatitis A virus infection among apparently healthy Nigerian Subjects

A study to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection among apparently healthy Nigerian subjects aged between 2 and 80 years is reported. Serum anti-HAV IgM specific antibody was measured in blood samples of 1532 apparently healthy subjects (1138 males and 394 females) attending Dr. Hassan’s Hospital & Diagnostic Centre, Abuja, Nigeria using standard methods. The subjects were clients who visited the hospital for routine health check during a 15-month period from November 2014 to February 2016. The results showed that 1487 (97.06%) were seronegative, 45 (2.94%) were seropositive. There were significantly higher seropositive results for males (2.48%) compared to females (0.46%). The seroprevalence of HAV among the subjects of this study is considerably lower than the previous reports from Nigeria. The lower prevalence in this study could be due to the socioeconomic status of the subjects, who were mainly professionals and their family members. The reduced prevalence could be due to improved food hygiene, immunization and greater awareness among the subjects of the study group. Improvements in hygienic and socio-economic conditions are known factors that result in a decrease in the prevalence of the disease.

Lassa fever in Nigeria: Insights into seroprevalence and risk factors in rural Edo State: A pilot study

Background: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of risk factors and Lassa seroprevalence in Esan West local government area of Edo State. Methodology: One hundred and sixty-six respondents from 50 households were interviewed using structured questionnaires on prevalence of risk factors for Lassa virus exposure, household heads provided information on household risk factors. Determination of Lassa virus specific antibodies immunoglobulin (Ig) in the blood was by an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Rodents were seen in 49 (96.1%) houses in the previous 6 months, garri was eaten as a soaked meal by 97 (58.4%) respondents. IgM was found in 2 (1.3%) samples, and IgG, in 103 (58.2%). Negative IgG sero status was significantly associated with age P P Conclusion: There is a need for health education to improve food hygiene practices and reduce practices that promote rodent contact with humans.

단체 급식 종사자와 일반주부와의 영양지식·위생지식 및 실행도 차이 비교연구

This research is aimed at evaluating the nutrition knowledge and hygiene knowledge of people who are either foodservice employees or housewives and at providing data for conducting hygiene education by comparing the differences between the two groups. Both groups scored relatively high in nutrition knowledge with housewives scoring 9.9/12 and food service employees scoring 9.6/12. However, foodservice employees scored significantly higher in hygiene knowledge and degree of practice than housewives, A correlation was found between nutrition knowledge and the degree of hygienic practice and a significant correlation between hygiene knowledge and the degree of hygienic practice. The higher the hygiene knowledge was, the higher their degree of hygienic practice was. As for food hygiene information, foodservice employees obtained the information through hygiene education and lecture meetings, but housewives got their information through mass media. To summarize, mass media, which housewives can have easy access, must have programs for housewives to help them improve food hygiene in cooking, and programs for foodservice employees on washing food.

Enteric Pathogens in Stored Drinking Water and on Caregiver’s Hands in Tanzanian Households with and without Reported Cases of Child Diarrhea

BackgroundDiarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality in young children. Diarrheal pathogens are transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and for children the majority of this transmission is thought to occur within the home. However, very few studies have documented enteric pathogens within households of low-income countries.Methods and FindingsThe presence of molecular markers for three enteric viruses (enterovirus, adenovirus, and rotavirus), seven Escherichia coli virulence genes (ECVG), and human-specific Bacteroidales was assessed in hand rinses and household stored drinking water in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Using a matched case-control study design, we examined the relationship between contamination of hands and water with these markers and child diarrhea. We found that the presence of ECVG in household stored water was associated with a significant decrease in the odds of a child within the home having diarrhea (OR = 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.27–0.93). We also evaluated water management and hygiene behaviors. Recent hand contact with water or food was positively associated with detection of enteric pathogen markers on hands, as was relatively lower volumes of water reportedly used for daily hand washing. Enteropathogen markers in stored drinking water were more likely found among households in which the markers were also detected on hands, as well as in households with unimproved water supply and sanitation infrastructure.ConclusionsThe prevalence of enteric pathogen genes and the human-specific Bacteroidales fecal marker in stored water and on hands suggests extensive environmental contamination within homes both with and without reported child diarrhea. Better stored water quality among households with diarrhea indicates caregivers with sick children may be more likely to ensure safe drinking water in the home. Interventions to increase the quantity of water available for hand washing, and to improve food hygiene, may reduce exposure to enteric pathogens in the domestic environment.

Long-Term Impact of Community-Based Information, Education and Communication Activities on Food Hygiene and Food Safety Behaviors in Vietnam: A Longitudinal Study

BackgroundIngestion of contaminated water or food is a major contributor to childhood diarrhea in developing countries. In Vietnam, the use of community-based information, education and communication (IEC) activities could be a sustainable strategy to improve food hygiene and food safety behaviors. This study thus examined the long-term impact of community-based IEC activities on food hygiene and food safety behaviors.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, we interviewed caregivers of children aged between six months and four years in suburban Hanoi. Baseline data were collected in January 2006 (n = 125). After conducting IEC interventions, we collected a 1st set of evaluation data in January 2007 (n = 132). To examine the long-term impact of the interventions, we then collected a 2nd set of evaluation data in January 2008 (n = 185). Changes in childhood diarrhea prevalence, IEC coverage, and food hygiene and food safety behaviors were assessed over a two-year period using bivariate and logistic regression analyses. Effective IEC channels were determined through multiple linear regression analysis.ResultsChildhood diarrhea was significantly reduced from 21.6% at baseline to 7.6% at the 1st post-intervention evaluation (P = 0.002), and to 5.9% at the 2nd evaluation. Among 17 food hygiene and food safety behaviors measured, a total of 11 behaviors were improved or maintained by the 2nd evaluation. Handwashing after toilet use was significantly improved at both evaluation points. Overall, 3 food safety behaviors and 7 food hygiene behaviors were found to have significantly improved at the 1st and at the 2nd evaluations, respectively. Flip chart communication administered by community groups was identified to be the most effective IEC channel for effecting behavior change (P = 0.018).ConclusionsFlip chart communication administered by community groups is effective for improving multiple food hygiene and food safety behaviors in sustainable ways, and should be included in water and health promotion programs.

ENCONTRO DE Rhabditis sp EM ALFACE Lactuca sativa COMERCIALIZADA EM ANÁPOLIS, GOIÁS, BRASIL

The consumption of fresh vegetables is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of their considerable vitamin, mineral and dietary fiber content. Vegetables are frequently fertilized with manure or irrigated with water contaminated with fecal matter. We assessed the occurrence of enteroparasites in vegetable consumers, in relation to the presence of parasites in conventional and hydroponic lettuce sold in the city of Anápolis, GO. The method of spontaneous sedimentation was used. Larvae of nematodes of the genus Rhabditis were found. In this genus, there are free-living species that eventually may become parasites of man and domestic animals. Given this evidence, improved food hygiene is recommended, for both domestic consumers and the handlers of vegetables to be served in restaurants and cafeterias. This is the first report of Rhabditis in vegetables in Brazil.

Consumer Hygiene Practices Regarding the Use of Home Refrigerators to Store Meat in the Capital Area of Korea

Food hygiene practices must be maintained from farm to table in order to prevent contamination by microorganisms. This study was conducted to investigate consumer hygiene practices related to the refrigerator storage of meat, including a microbial analysis, monitoring of refrigerator temperatures and consumer surveys of female homeowners in the capital area of Korea. Home refrigerator temperatures were maintained above 5oC in 26 (19.7%) of the 132 houses investigated. The percentage of the refrigerators with a total microbial count over 102 CFU/100 cm2 was 14.4%. No E. coli, Salmonella spp. or Listeria monocytogenes microbes were detected. However, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 14 houses (10.6%). The only statistically significant difference in hygiene practices between the non-contamination group and contamination group was in the last time of refrigerator cleaning (p<0.01), as determined by the consumer survey. To improve food hygiene when using a refrigerator, raw materials must be packaged, meat should be stored only on a designated shelf, and cooked foods must be contained to prevent cross-contamination. The refrigerator should be cleaned regularly, at least once a month, and refrigerator thermometers should be monitored below 5oC in order to keep food safe.

Culinary Employees' Sanitation Management Practice Levels According to Dietitians' Sanitation Training Performance in the Institutional Foodservice Industry in the Chungbuk Province

The purpose of our study was to examine the effects of dietitians' sanitation training performance on the sanitation knowledge and management practice level of culinary employees. We developed a questionnaire to measure the sanitation knowledge and management practice level of culinary employees and the sanitation training performance of dietitians. The questionnaire was completed by 53 dietitians and 337 culinary employees working in food service in the Chungbuk Province. We found that the sanitation training performance of dietitians had a significant positive affect on the sanitation knowledge and management practice level of culinary employees. There was also a correlation between sanitation knowledge and the management practice level of culinary employees. We conclude that sanitation training performance by dietitians is an effective method of improving the sanitation knowledge and management practice level of culinary employees. Thus, we suggest strengthening the sanitation training programs given by dietitians to improve food hygiene and safety in the foodservice industry.

Customer involvement in food hygiene

Dr Jeremy Leach, FRSPH, Public Health Development Manager and Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner at Wealden District Council in East Sussex, advocates a more active involvement by customers to improve food hygiene

COMPARISON OF THE MODES OF ACTION, ON LAB, OF TWO MYRTACEAE ESSENTIAL OILS BY FLOW CYTOMETRY AND PREDICTIVE MICROBIOLOGY

The growing interest in the substitution of traditional food preservatives, both antimicrobials and antioxidants, by natural ones has fostered the screening of plant materials. In this context, essential oils (EOs) and their components are known to exhibit varying degrees of antimicrobial activity namely against pathogens. Nevertheless, there is no data concerning the examination of their effects on beneficial normal microbiota or on the starter cultures largely used in many industries. This work describes the use of a multiparametric flow cytometry technique to assess the mode of action, at the single cell level, of Melaleuca armillaris Sol. ex Gaertn. Sm. and Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunn. ex Woolls EOs against two LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) strains. Using an automated microtiter assay, bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects were noticed depending on the studied strain and on the applied concentration of each of the EOs. The mathematical modelling of the kinetics showed that in presence of increasing concentrations of a given EO, the lag phases of growth were extended (0.7% to 80.56%) and both the growth rate and final cell density were reduced. Variations depending on the strain were noticed. Live/dead assays of the multiparametric flow cytometry technique were done by dual staining of each sample culture to differentiate viable, dead and stressed cells. The behaviour of each strain, in presence of increasing concentrations of the EOs, was evaluated by quantifying the relative percentages of each subpopulation throughout 3 days of culture. Results displayed disparate patterns of subpopulations which reveal dynamic change in cells behaviour. Since both EOs contain similar amounts of major components, their disparate behaviour is probably due to the different influences essentially of their minor components on cellular physiological properties during the incubation period. This technique can serve as powerful tool in optimally combining different preservative factors in order to design an effective antimicrobial system for selected foods. Furthermore, such study could be useful to understand how to fully take advantage of LAB as probiotics or as potential candidates to improve food hygiene and to assure food quality; namely when they are associated with natural preservatives such as EOs.

A re-evaluation of the impact of temperature and climate change on foodborne illness

The effects of temperature on reported cases of a number of foodborne illnesses in England and Wales were investigated. We also explored whether the impact of temperature had changed over time. Food poisoning, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, Salmonella Typhimurium infections and Salmonella Enteritidis infections were positively associated (P<0.01) with temperature in the current and previous week. Only food poisoning, salmonellosis and S. Typhimurium infections were associated with temperature 2-5 weeks previously (P<0.01). There were significant reductions also in the impact of temperature on foodborne illnesses over time. This applies to temperature in the current and previous week for all illness types (P<0.01) except S. Enteritidis infection (P=0.079). Temperature 2-5 weeks previously diminished in importance for food poisoning and S. Typhimurium infection (P<0.001). The results are consistent with reduced pathogen concentrations in food and improved food hygiene over time. These adaptations to temperature imply that current estimates of how climate change may alter foodborne illness burden are overly pessimistic.

Mechanism of action of Melaleuca armillaris (Sol. Ex Gaertu) Sm. essential oil on six LAB strains as assessed by multiparametric flow cytometry and automated microtiter-based assay

Little is known concerning the effects of essential oils (EOs) against lactic acid bacteria (LAB), either of the human gastrointestinal microflora or those involved in industrial processes. GC and GC/MS analysis of Melaleuca armillaris EO resulted in the identification of 68 compounds comprising 99.6% of the oil. Eucalyptol (1,8-cineole) was the major compound (68.9%) and the composition was largely dominated by the oxygenated monoterpenes fraction (77.3%). The anti-LAB activities of the EO were first checked by the disc diffusion assay. In a second phase, time-survival kinetics of each strain incubated with increasing concentrations of the EO (0.25, 2.5, 5 and 25 μg/ml) were established using an automated microtiter assay (Bioscreen C). Bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects were noticed depending on the studied strain and on the applied concentration of the EO. The mathematical modelling of the kinetics showed that in presence of increasing concentrations of M. armillaris EO, the lag phases of growth were extended (0.69%–97.5%) and both the growth rate and final cell density were reduced. Variations depending on the strain were noticed. Live/dead assays of the multiparametric flow cytometry technique (combining carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and propidium iodide (PI) fluorescent probes) were performed by dual staining of each sample culture to differentiate viable, dead and stressed cells. The behaviour of each strain, in presence of increasing concentrations of M. armillaris EO, was evaluated by quantifying the relative percentages of each subpopulation throughout 3 days of culture. Results displayed disparate patterns of subpopulations which revealed dynamic changes in cell behaviour. This is probably due to disparate influences of the EO components on cellular physiological properties throughout the incubation period. This study proved that multiparametric flow cytometry was a convenient and rapid tool to evaluate the viability of LAB, and was well correlated with plate count results. Such study could be useful to understand how to fully take advantage of LAB as probiotics or as potential candidates to improve food hygiene and to assure food quality; namely when they are associated with natural preservatives such as EOs.

Reducing foodborne disease: meeting the Food Standards Agency’s targets

The Food Standards Agency has set a five‐year target to reduce foodborne disease in the UK by 20 per cent. The Agency’s strategy proposes measures throughout the food chain, from the farm to the kitchen. It is designed to reduce the risks associated with common vehicles of foodborne infections, such as raw meat, poultry, milk and dairy products, and to promote effective management of food safety, based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, in all food businesses. Measures to improve food hygiene in the kitchen, whether commercial or domestic, are also planned, underpinned by a media‐based food hygiene campaign. The campaign will aim to raise the profile of food safety on the public agenda and deliver key preventative messages about the cooking and handling of food. Reduction in foodborne disease will be monitored through laboratory reports of key foodborne pathogens.

Improving food hygiene standards – a customer focused approach

The notion of consumer sovereignty is not a new concept. However to effectively use it as a tool to improve food hygiene standards, proprietors of eating‐places must know what customers look for to assess those standards. It is also important that customers demonstrate their unwillingness to buy from unhygienic premises. This article summarises research, using the “Delphi Technique”, backed up by semi‐structured interviews which has established a body of new knowledge about the subject. Conclusions are drawn about the relevance of food hygiene standards to running an effective business and the need for a public education campaign. The results also challenge current views about the importance of food hygiene standards to customers.

El control de la higiene alimentaria durante la exposición universal de sevilla (expo‘92)

EXPO'92 has been one of the most important mass events held in Spain during several decades. Given the size of the event and the very complex circumstances surrounding the fair, the public health services had to face a big challenge. Food-hygiene and food-safety services, in particular were organized so as to take advantage and put into practice a fully managerial approach. Relevant conclusions can be drawn from such an experience which may be valuable not only with regards to similar mass-events in the future, but also for improving food hygiene in the overall Spanish context. In this article, the positive results obtained in the field of food hygiene and food safety at EXPO'92 are directly related by the authors with the methodology which was applied, namely the hazard analysis and critical control points. It is concluded that the interinstitutional coordination achieved played a decisive role.

A Guide to Improving Food Hygiene

A Guide to Improving Food Hygiene

Good Food and Clean Water

The rise in population is closely related to better health care. Mortality decline is due to reduction of deaths from common infectious diseases. 4 major factors influence the rise in population: 1) improved nutrition; 2) improved food hygiene efficient sewage systems purified water and other public health measures; 3) improved medical care; and 4) fertility control. Malnutrition is the most serious health problem since it leads to higher infection rates and higher mortality rates than in well nourished people. Direct medical measures are evidenced largely by health being determined by behavioral and environmental influences nutrition and immunization and therapy from infectious diseases.

COMPARABILITY IN INTERNATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

This is a report of selected papers and some of the discussion from the Fourth Scientific Conference of the International Epidemiological Association held at Princeton, N. J., in 1964. Considering the importance of the topic and the eminence of many of the presenters the book is rather disappointing. The editor admits in his introduction that as each chapter is based on a short (15 to 20 minutes) paper the writers were forced into the position of being brief and sometimes superficial. While these brief vignettes and the ensuing discussion may well have led to a productive and stimulating conference, the effect when reduced to the written word is unfortunate. In many chapters the only inferences to be drawn are statements of the obvious, that observers vary and that training of observers and randomization between observers is desirable, that for the control of diarrhea it is desirable to provide a sanitated environment, adequate disposal of feces, controlled water supply and improved food hygiene, etc. In many others tantalizing and often provocative but rather general statements are made, but the data presented are so fragmentary that it is difficult for the reader to form any independent judgment of their significance. The papers also suffer from a degree of unevenness, ranging from pedestrian superficialities to occasionally rather highly specialized and technical minute details. Despite these limitations there are a number of chapters in which some refreshing original thinking is evident. Chief among these perhaps are the papers in the section on Medical Care, particularly those by Last on Record Keeping and Van Deen on Analysis of Work Load in Primary Medical Care and the provocative paper by Kessel questioning the need for International Comparisons. Perhaps the major justification for this volume is as a source of reference for those about to embark on a study, for if the experience contained within these covers were adequately utilized the occurrence of incomparable studies would drop sharply. JOHN C. CASSELL