TITLE:
An exploratory study of food safety and food handling: Examining ready-to-eat foods in independent delicatessen operations
AUTHORS:
Douglas Murray, Charles Feldman, Lee Lee, Casey Schuckers
KEYWORDS:
Food Safety; Food Handling; E. coli; S. aureus; Public Health; Ready-To-Eat Foods
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.4 No.3A,
March
29,
2013
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.