Hand washing frequencies and procedures used in retail food services

Transmission of viruses, bacteria, and parasites to food by way of improperly washed hands is a major contributing factor in the spread of foodborne illnesses. Field observers have assessed compliance with hand washing regulations, yet few studies have included consideration of frequency and methods used by sectors of the food service industry or have included benchmarks for hand washing. Five 3-h observation periods of employee (n = 80) hand washing behaviors during menu production, service, and cleaning were conducted in 16 food service operations for a total of 240 h of direct observation. Four operations from each of four sectors of the retail food service industry participated in the study: assisted living for the elderly, childcare, restaurants, and schools. A validated observation form, based on 2005 Food Code guidelines, was used by two trained researchers. Researchers noted when hands should have been washed, when hands were washed, and how hands were washed. Overall compliance with Food Code recommendations for frequency during production, service, and cleaning phases ranged from 5% in restaurants to 33% in assisted living facilities. Procedural compliance rates also were low. Proposed benchmarks for the number of times hand washing should occur by each employee for each sector of food service during each phase of operation are seven times per hour for assisted living, nine times per hour for childcare, 29 times per hour for restaurants, and 11 times per hour for schools. These benchmarks are high, especially for restaurant employees. Implementation would mean lost productivity and potential for dermatitis; thus, active managerial control over work assignments is needed. These benchmarks can be used for training and to guide employee hand washing behaviors.     

Salmonella infections in food workers identified through routine Public Health Surveillance in Minnesota: impact on outbreak recognition

The frequency of Salmonella-infected food workers identified through routine surveillance from 1997 to 2004 in Minnesota was determined in order to evaluate the impact of surveillance on the detection of outbreaks in restaurants and to quantify the duration of Salmonella shedding in stool. Of 4,976 culture-confirmed Salmonella cases reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, 110 (2.2%) were identified as food workers; this was less than one-half the number expected based on the incidence of Salmonella in the general population. Twenty food workers (18%) were associated with outbreaks. Twelve were involved in nine independent outbreaks at the restaurants where they worked. The identification of the index food worker in six of these outbreaks was critical to the initiation of outbreak investigations that revealed much larger problems. Among food workers who submitted specimens until at least one negative result was obtained (n = 69), the median duration of shedding was 22 days (range, 1 to 359 days). Among the four most common serotypes (Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Heidelberg, and Newport) the median duration of shedding was significantly longer for Salmonella Newport (80 days; P = 0.02) and for Salmonella Enteritidis (32 days; P = 0.04) than for Salmonella Heidelberg (8 days). Food workers should be considered an important source of Salmonella transmission, and those identified through surveillance should raise a high index of suspicion of a possible outbreak at their place of work. Food service managers need to be alert to Salmonella-like illnesses among food workers to facilitate prevention and control efforts, including exclusion of infected food workers or restriction of their duties.     

Observational study of food safety practices in retail deli departments

In order to improve the safety of refrigerated ready-to-eat food products prepared at retail deli departments, a better understanding of current practices in these establishments is needed. Food employees in deli departments at six chain and three independent retail establishments in Maryland and Virginia were observed, using notational analysis, as they prepared deli products for sale. The frequency of contact with objects and deli products before sale, hand washing and glove changing during preparation, and equipment, utensil, and surface cleaning and sanitizing was determined. Compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2005 model Food Code recommendations, which must be adopted by the individual state and local jurisdictions that are responsible for directly regulating retail establishments, was also assessed. Observations indicated there were a large number of actions for which hand washing was recommended at independent and chain stores (273 recommended of 1,098 total actions and 439 recommended of 3,073 total actions, respectively). Moreover, 67% (295 of 439) of the actions for which hand washing was recommended at the chain stores and 86% (235 of 273) of those at the independent stores resulted from employees touching non-food contact surfaces prior to handling ready-to-eat food. Compliance with hand washing recommendations was generally low and varied depending on store type with independent stores exhibiting lower compliance than chain stores (5 instances of compliance for 273 recommended actions and 73 instances of compliance for 439 recommended actions, respectively). Potential risk mitigation measures that may reduce the frequency of hand washing actions needed during ready-to-eat food preparation in retail deli departments are discussed. More research is needed to determine the impact of such measures on food safety.     

可追溯体系在食品供应链中的建立

介绍食品安全可追溯体系产生的背景、可追溯性及追溯系统的基本定义,并对其设计内容进行概述,提出建立可追溯体系的_般应包括"内部可追溯体系的建立"、"外部可追溯体系的建立"及"可追溯体系的网络化建立"3个过程.在整个追溯体系中,最为关键的是对产品进行唯一标识.     

Prevalence of the main food-borne pathogens in retail food under the national food surveillance system in Japan

The National Food Surveillance System in Japan was formed in 1998 to monitor the contamination of retail foods with bacterial pathogens. Approximately 2000–3000 samples were tested annually, and the data from food categories that had more than 400 samples collected during 1998–2008 were analysed. With regard to meat, the frequency of positive samples for Salmonella in chicken for raw consumption and ground chicken was 12.7% and 33.5%, respectively. Moreover, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 was found in ground meat, organ meat and processed meat, although at a low frequency (0.1%). The prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni/coli was 13.3% and 20.9% in chicken for raw consumption and ground chicken, respectively. In vegetables and fruit, Salmonella was detected in cucumber, lettuce, sprout and tomato samples at a frequency of around 0.1–0.2%. With regard to seafood, Salmonella was found in 0.5% of oysters for raw consumption. Seafood was not contaminated with STEC O157 or Shigella. Serotype Infantis was the most frequently detected serotype of Salmonella in seafood, followed by the serotypes Typhimurium, Schwarzengrund and Manhattan. In ground chicken, 72.2% of the strains were identified as the serotype Infantis. E. coli, as an indicator of food hygiene, was detected in all food categories. The results show the prevalence of the above-mentioned pathogens in the retail food supplied in Japan; further, they indicate that consumption of raw food carries the risk of contracting food-borne infections.     

食品安全之内涵及我国食品安全教育体系的构建

主要介绍了食品安全的概念及内涵、食品安全发展现状,阐述了我国食品安全学科与食品科学、食品卫生学、食品营养学等之间的关系,重点研究了我国食品安全教育发展现状,提出构建我国食品安全教育体系的思路和方法,即由公众食品安全普及教育、行业食品安全教育培训、食品安全本科教育和创新型、研究型高级食品安全人才培养等构成的金字塔型食品安全教育体系。     

In sight, in mind: retailer compliance with legislation on limiting retail tobacco displays

We investigated retailer compliance with point-of-sale display legislation, using a New Zealand region as a case study. An observational survey was conducted of nonspecialist tobacco retailers in the lower North Island of New Zealand during 2006. Compliance was assessed in relation to store type (dairies, convenience stores, supermarkets, and service stations) and by characteristics of the population of the census area unit in which the store was situated. These characteristics include the level of socioeconomic deprivation and proportions of Maori (indigenous New Zealanders), Pacific Islanders, and children aged less than 19 years. Out of the 288 stores surveyed, 185 (64%) had at least one breach of the point-of-sale regulations. The most common breaches were a failure to display a "Smoking Kills" sign, visibility of tobacco from outside the premises, and displaying tobacco less than 1 m from children's products. Compliance was significantly worse in dairies (small local general stores) and convenience stores. Stores situated in areas in the top quartile for the proportion of children were much more likely to have high levels of noncompliance (> or =3 breaches) and to display tobacco products close to children's products. This study is one of very few to systematically investigate retailer compliance with point-of-sale display regulations for tobacco products. The results suggest that the implementation of legislation to partly limit retail displays of tobacco products can be difficult. A ban on retail displays of tobacco products is likely to be a more effective and enforceable policy.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of food recalls in retail establishments in New York City

Information on how promptly food recalls of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated products are disseminated to retailers is not well documented. Store managers were surveyed after recalls were declared to estimate the proportion aware of a recall, to describe the methods by which they learned of the recall, and to ascertain how they would prefer to be notified of recalls in the future. From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009, we identified FDA Class I products recalled because of potential contamination with an infectious agent such as Salmonella, which were sold in New York City. After each recall, a sample of retailers who carried the products was contacted, a standardized questionnaire was administered to store managers, and a sample of stores was inspected to determine if the product had been removed. Among nine recalls evaluated, 85 % (range, 12 to 100 % ) of managers were aware of the recall affecting a product at their store. Chain store managers were more aware of recalls than were independent store managers (93 versus 78%, P < 0.0001). More chain store managers first heard about the recall via e-mail as compared with independent store managers (35 versus 4%, P < 0.0001). E-mail notification was preferred by large chain store managers (38 versus 8%, P < 0.0001); on inspection, chain stores were more likely to have removed the item than were independent stores (85 versus 56%, P = 0.0071). Although recall information reaches many stores, faster electronic notifications are not effective at reaching small, independent stores, which may lack computers or fax machines. Alternate means to disseminate recall notifications rapidly are needed for stores without electronic communication capabilities.     

浅议饮料企业食品防护计划的建立

简要介绍了饮料企业食品防护计划建立的意义和作用,着重介绍了饮料企业食品防护计划建立的要点：防护评     

Hygienic training of the workers occupied in food industry

The system of professional hygienic training for the workers of enterprises in various branches of food industry needs updating. Suggestions how to improve this work are made.     

Generation of food waste in the hospitality and food retail and wholesale sectors: lessons from developed economies

Food wastage is a major challenge in the global food value chain. In an attempt to explain and better understand the determinants of food waste across the supply chain, this paper closely examines the Hospitality, Restaurants and Canteens/Cafeterias (HORECA) as well as food retail and wholesale sectors, as being interrelated with the final consumer at the post-harvest and post-processing levels. Data from 33 developed countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania were compiled from secondary sources and analyzed by means of a regression model in order to identify the macroeconomic factors contributing to generation of food waste in the HORECA industry at the national level. The results of our analysis suggest that a well-defined and inclusive legislative framework, awareness campaigns as well as fiscal incentives significantly reduce generation of food waste by an average of 17.6, 21.3 and 14.3%; respectively. Accordingly, these measures can be used in conjunction as effective schemes for controlling food wastage in the HORECA industry. On the other hand, non-legally binding initiatives by government authorities among other actors did not seem to have any significant impact on the food waste generated and quantities reported.     

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail chicken carcasses and pet workers in Northwest Arkansas

Staphylococcus aureus can be carried on the skin and nasal passages of humans and animals as a commensal. A case of human methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection resulting from contact with pork has been reported. Poultry carcasses are sold at retail with the skin intact, but pork and beef typically are not. Thus, the risk of methicillin-resistant S. aureus human infection from whole raw poultry carcasses may be greater than that of exposure from pork or beef. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize S. aureus from whole retail poultry carcasses and compare the isolates to S. aureus isolates from humans. A total of 25 S. aureus isolates were collected from 222 whole poultry carcasses. The isolates were characterized phenotypically with antibiotic resistance disc diffusion assays and genotypically using multilocus sequence typing. A total of 17 S. aureus isolates obtained from healthy humans were included and characterized in the same way as the poultry isolates. Staphylococcus spp. were recovered from all poultry carcasses. Only 25 poultry carcasses (11.2%) were contaminated with S. aureus. Of these 25 isolates, 36% were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested and 20% were resistant to two or more antibiotics tested. However, 100% of the human isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics and 94% were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results of the multilocus sequence typing indicate that most of the isolates grouped according to source. These results indicate a low prevalence of S. aureus present in poultry, and the isolates were not phenotypically similar to human isolates. The low number of S. aureus isolates from this study indicates that chicken carcasses would appear to not be a significant source of this bacterium.     

美国食品召回制对我国农村构建食品安全体系的启示

简要介绍了美国食品召回制度,并从分析我国农产品质量安全及农村召回制的现状入手,对我国农村构建食品安全体系作了初步探讨。     

烟台市市售散装酱腌菜中7种防腐剂含量状况调查

目的 掌握烟台市市售散装酱腌菜中防腐剂含量情况.方法 采用超高效液相色谱(UPLC)-二极管阵列检测器(PDA)法检测300份市售散装酱腌菜中7种防腐剂(山梨酸、苯甲酸、脱氢乙酸、尼泊金甲酯、尼泊金乙酯、尼泊金丙酯、尼泊金丁酯)含量.结果 苯甲酸检出率为99.7％(299/300),合格率仅为37.3％ (112/300),含量平均值为1.55 g/kg,最大检出值5.31 g/kg,是GB 2760-2011规定最大使用量的5.3倍.9种酱腌菜中,什锦菜苯甲酸平均值最高(2.34 g/kg),合格率最低(13.9％).山梨酸的检出率为68.7％ (206/300),平均值0.10 g/kg,最大检出值2.35 g/kg,是GB 2760-2011规定最大使用量的2.3倍.脱氢乙酸检出率为25.0％ (75/300),脱氢乙酸含量平均值为0.032 g/kg,合格率100％.结论 酱腌菜中苯甲酸含量的合格率最低,超标严重,建议应作为今后重点监督、监测的对象;加强散装酱腌菜的监管力度.     

Fusarium toxins in corn food products: a survey of the Serbian retail market

This paper presents data on the occurrence of Fusarium toxins – zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUMs) B1 and B2 – in corn flours and corn flakes marketed in Serbia. A total of 71 samples were collected over 2013–2016 and analysed using HPLC with UV or fluorescence detection. In the case of corn flours, none of the samples taken in 2013 exhibited the presence of ZEA or DON, whereas 90% were positive for FUMs. In 2015, occurrence was very high: ZEA 93%, DON 86% and FUMs 100% (mean 43.3, 322.6 and 323.0 μg kg^?1, respectively), with 21% of the samples exceeding the maximum level for ZEA and 7% for DON and FUMs. In 2016, a lower occurrence was recorded in the case of ZEA (75%) and DON (38%), with drastically lower mean contamination levels (six- and 10-fold, respectively), while FUMs stayed at 97%, with twofold lower mean. The maximum level was exceeded only for ZEA (3%). The frequency of ZEA–DON–FB1 co-occurrence was 86% in 2015 and 25% in 2016. Regarding corn flakes, occurrence summarised for the study period was 87% ZEA, 73% FUMs and 40% DON. One sample (7%) exceeded the maximum levels for both ZEA and DON. Observed occurrence changes were in agreement with the climatic conditions during corn growing seasons preceding the market release of the processed products.     

Microbial levels for food contact and environmental surfaces in meat processing plants and retail shops

Food Science and Biotechnology - The microbial contamination levels for food contact and environmental surfaces in meat processing plants and retail shops were assessed. Sixty-eight samples from...     

Bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods and fresh products in retail shops and food factories.

Raw vegetables cut for salad, cooked salad, cooked rice, boiled noodles, bean curd, and cooked Japanese foods were purchased in 27 retail shops in Tokyo. Intact vegetables before being processed and ready-to-eat fresh salad products were obtained from two food factories located in the suburbs of Tokyo. Two hundred thirty-eight retail samples, 137 samples of intact vegetables, and 159 samples of fresh products were examined for aerobic plate count (APC), coliforms, Escherichia coli, Listeria spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus. The APC of retail foods were 2.1 to 5.7 log CFU/g, and the range for the coliforms was 0.1 to 2.3 log CFU/g. The APC and coliform values showed that the raw vegetables cut for salad were the most heavily contaminated among the six kinds of ready-to-eat foods examined. Although L. monocytogenes was not detected, two samples of raw vegetables and five kinds of cooked foods yielded Listeria spp. S. aureus was detected in one sample of Japanese cooked food. The APC of the intact vegetables were 2.9 to 7.3 log CFU/g upon arrival and 2.2 to 7.2 log CFU/g after 3 days storage at 10 degrees C. The APC of the fresh products were 3.4 to 7.6 log CFU/g upon arrival and 4.7 to 8.7 log CFU/g after 3 days storage at 10 degrees C. The isolation rates for coliforms were 6.1 to 50% for intact vegetables and 50 to 66.7% for fresh products. E. coli was detected only in the fresh products. B. cereus was isolated from 20.1% (17 of 81) of the intact vegetables and 9.2% (8 of 87) of the fresh products.     

Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 11. Use of antiseptics and sanitizers in community settings and issues of hand hygiene compliance in health care and food industries

Hand washing with soap is a practice that has long been recognized as a major barrier to the spread of disease in food production, preparation, and service and in health care settings, including hospitals, child care centers, and elder care facilities. Many of these settings present multiple opportunities for spread of pathogens within at-risk populations, and extra vigilance must be applied. Unfortunately, hand hygiene is not always carried out effectively, and both enteric and respiratory diseases are easily spread in these environments. Where water is limited or frequent hand hygiene is required on a daily basis, such as for many patients in hospitals and astronauts in space travel, instant sanitizers or sanitary wipes are thought to be an effective way of preventing contamination and spread of organisms among coworkers and others. Most concerns regarding compliance are associated with the health care field, but the food industry also must be considered. Specific reasons for not washing hands at appropriate times are laziness, time pressure, inadequate facilities and supplies, lack of accountability, and lack of involvement by companies, managers, and workers in supporting proper hand washing. To facilitate improvements in hand hygiene, measurement of compliant and noncompliant actions is necessary before implementing any procedural changes. Training alone is not sufficient for long-lasting improvement. Multiactivity strategies also must include modification of the organization culture to encourage safe hygienic practices, motivation of employees willing to use peer pressure on noncompliant coworkers, a reward and/or penalty system, and an operational design that facilitates regular hand hygiene.     

Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes molecular subtypes among human and food isolates from New York State shows persistence of human disease--associated Listeria monocytogenes strains in retail environments

While there is considerable information available regarding Listeria monocytogenes contamination patterns in food processing plants, our understanding of L. monocytogenes contamination and transmission in retail operations is limited. We characterized 125 food, 40 environmental, and 342 human clinical L. monocytogenes isolates collected in New York State from 1997 to 2002 using automated ribotyping and hly allelic variation. All environmental isolates were obtained from retail establishments and the majority of food isolates (98 isolates) were obtained from foods that were prepared or handled at retail. Overall, food and/or environmental isolates from 50 different retail establishments were characterized. The 125 food and 40 environmental isolates were differentiated into 29 and 10 ribotypes, respectively. For 16 retail establishments, we found evidence for persistence of one or more specific L. monocytogenes strains as indicated by isolation of the same EcoRI ribotype from food or environmental samples collected in a given establishment on different days. The human isolates were differentiated into 48 ribotypes. Statistical analyses showed that two ribotypes were significantly (P < 0.0001) more common among food isolates as compared with human isolates. However, a total of 17 ribotypes found among the human clinical isolates were also found among the food and environmental isolates. We conclude that L. monocytogenes, including subtypes that have been linked to human disease, can persist in retail environments. Implementation of Listeria control procedures in retail operations, which process and handle products that permit the growth of L. monocytogenes, are thus a critical component of a farm-to-table L. monocytogenes control program.     

加工食品中动物源DNA的提取和多重PCR检测方法的建立

为了从深加工食品中提取高质量和数量的动物源性DNA片段,以优化后CTAB方法提取,用于PCR检测。根据鸭线粒体基因序列,设计合成检测鸭源性成分引物,进行PCR体系和反应条件的优化筛选,建立三重PCR方法;同时扩增出牛源性116bp、猪源性212bp和鸭源性322bp目的基因片段。建立的三重PCR方法特异地鉴定牛肉及其制品中掺假猪和鸭源性成分,对打击食品掺假伪造、审核食品标签、保障消费者知情权、维护消费者健康等方面有重要作用。