Protecting child health by preventing school-related foodborne illnesses : microbiological risk assessment of hygiene practices, drinking water and ready-to-eat foods in Italian kindergartens and schools
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2013
Citazione:
Protecting child health by preventing school-related foodborne illnesses : microbiological risk assessment of hygiene practices, drinking water and ready-to-eat foods in Italian kindergartens and schools / M.A. Marzano, C.M. Balzaretti. - In: FOOD CONTROL. - ISSN 0956-7135. - 34:2(2013 Dec), pp. 560-567. [10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.05.031]
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate hygiene and microbial safety in 26 Italian school catering
establishments. This involved monitoring the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat foods
(n ¼ 395), drinking water (n ¼ 43), food contact surfaces (n ¼ 139), and food handlers (n ¼ 249). Food
samples analyses revealed an adequate level of microbiological quality and safety. Of particular concern
was the isolation of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in 5.8% and 1.9% of raw vegetable samples,
respectively. Escherichia coli counts exceeded the microbial reference standards in 8.6% of soft cheeses
samples and in 27.3% of multi-ingredients preparations. Staphylococcus aureus counts exceeded the
reference limits only in 5.7% of soft cheeses samples. The hygienic level of food contact surfaces was very
high, since only 1.4% of samples showed unacceptable contamination. Concerning the food workers’
hands, the results showed that the total bacterial count, coagulase positive staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae
levels exceeded the reference standards in 18.1%, 10.4%, and 11.2% of cases, respectively. The
results of the water analyses indicated that 47.8% of the tap water and 10.0% of drinking water samples
examined were found to be non-conforming to law limits. In conclusion, since children have a relatively
lower immunity than adults, additional safety measures are needed to protect them from foodborne
pathogens and high microbial contamination in school lunches. Consequently, our results suggest that
various changes in the timing of food preparation and holding temperatures are needed, and good
manufacturing practices and HACCP principles need to be applied more rigorously.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
School catering; food safety; water quality; food handlers; food contact surfaces
Elenco autori:
M.A. Marzano, C.M. Balzaretti
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