As European Union legislation sets reduction targets to lower the incidence of human salmonellosis, Member States are obliged to take effective measures to control Salmonella infection and ...contamination along the pig production chain. This review considers the most important control measures in the primary phase of pig production as well as during transport, lairage and along the slaughter line.
Pig feed should be free of Salmonella, and contamination after feed processing must be prevented. Cleaning and disinfection procedures should be improved, although this can be complicated by the development of biofilms and the interaction between Salmonella and protozoa. Further research is required on the acid tolerance response of Salmonella strains regarding the use of organic acids in feed and/or drinking water. Vaccination of sows and piglets can be helpful but can interfere with current serosurveillance as no differentiation can yet be made between naturally infected and vaccinated animals.
Fasting, transport and lairage conditions should be critically evaluated and improved. Slaughterhouses must avoid contamination and cross-contamination during all stages of the slaughter process. Scalding by steam and implementing a second singeing step after polishing are beneficial. Attention should be paid to the cleaning and disinfection procedures along the slaughter line. Carcass decontamination is a promising approach, but needs to be considered as a tool to add to good hygiene practices.
The current study concerns the temperature of foodstuffs on sale in refrigerated display cabinets in bakeries, pork butcher's/delicatessens and cheese/dairy shops. The authors propose a single ...criterion to estimate whether storage conditions are satisfactory: foodstuffs must remain at temperatures below or equal to 7 °C to avoid any hazardous bacterial growth. Applying this criterion, 70% of time–temperature profiles are unsatisfactory.
Of the main factors responsible for these excess temperatures, the authors distinguished factors related to the refrigerated display itself from factors related to professional practices. The equipment must be properly designed, used and maintained in order to keep foodstuff temperatures within a range geared to food safety needs.
► Study of foodstuffs temperatures in refrigerated display cabinets. ► 7 °C considered as the maximum acceptable temperature as regards to food safety. ► 70% of the 99 time–temperature collected profiles are unsatisfactory. ► Definition of the main factors responsible for excess temperatures. ► Poor equipment design and poor professional practices are responsible in equal part.
A total of 120 poultry carcasses (chicken, turkey and quail from conventional poultry farms, and chicken from organic farms; 30 samples in each group), collected from eight randomly selected retail ...outlets in North-Western Spain, was subjected to microbiological examination. Psychrotrophic counts ranged from 4.87 ± 0.83 log10 cfu/cm2 skin in quail to 6.01 ± 0.38 log10 cfu/cm2 skin in turkey. Higher (P < 0.05) faecal coliform load was found on conventionally produced chicken (2.95 ± 0.48 log10 cfu/cm2 skin) than in the other types of sample (from 1.71 ± 0.29 log10 cfu/cm2 skin in turkey to 2.19 ± 0.34 log10 cfu/cm2 skin in quail). All the samples harboured Escherichia coli. Sixty E. coli strains (15 from each type of sample) were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using both the conventional agar disc diffusion method (12 antimicrobials) and a commercially available miniaturized test (Sensi Test Gram-negative). The disc diffusion method showed that 91.7% of isolates were multi-resistant (resistant to two or more antimicrobials). Resistance to nalidixic acid was the commonest finding (85.0% of strains), followed by resistance to ampicillin (75.0%), ciprofloxacin (73.3%) and tetracycline (61.7%). A significantly (P < 0.05) higher average number of resistances per strain was found in conventionally raised poultry (from 5.20 in chicken to 6.40 in quail) than in organic chicken (2.53). An agreement (kappa coefficient) of 0.74% was found between the two testing methods. Using the agar disc diffusion as the reference method, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the miniaturized test were 71.52%, 97.60% and 89.63%, respectively. Findings in this study suggest a linkage between the use of antimicrobials on conventional poultry farms and selection for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria on meat, and highlight the need for the prudent use of antimicrobials with food-producing animals. Because poultry meat is an important reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli, the need for consumer education on good hygiene practices is emphasized.
► A microbial examination of conventional and organic poultry was performed in Spain. ► All Escherichia coli isolates from conventional production systems showed multi-resistance. ► The mean number of resistances per strain was 2.53 (organic), or 5.36 (conventional). ► The agar disc diffusion method and a commercially available rapid test were compared. ► An agreement (kappa coefficient) of 0.74% was found between the two testing methods.
The food industry’s failure in planning and designing of and in implementing a Food Safety Management System and its foundation elements leads, in most instances, to compromised food safety and ...subsequent foodborne illness outbreaks. This phenomenon was noticed, worldwide, for all food processors, but with a much higher incidence in the medium- and small-sized food processing plants. Our study focuses on the importance of Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Critical Control Points Hazard Analysis (HACCP) and the Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) as the foundation of HACCP, in preventing foodborne outbreaks. For emphasis, we make use of the example of organizational food safety culture failures and the lack of managerial engagement which resulted in a multi-state listeriosis outbreak in USA. Moreover, we correlate this with microbiological criteria. Implementation of food safety management systems (ISO 22000:2018) along with incorporation of management tools such as HAZOP, FMEA, Ishikawa and Pareto have proved to be proactive in the maintenance of a positive food safety culture and prevention of cross-contamination and fraud.
Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) occurring outside of health facilities are underestimated because there are a lack of structured preventive organization and absence of epidemiological ...surveillance. HCAI prevalence is likely to grow with the increase in patient care outside of health institutions.
To set up a situational analysis of good hygiene practices among private general practitioners (GPs) to better organize HCAI prevention in this sector.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2017 and March 2018, using a self-administered questionnaire among all GPs in Sousse City, Tunisia.
Participation rate was 93.1%. There was a predominance of male GPs (63%), with a sex ratio of 1.7:1. Up-to-date vaccination status was reported by 82 (75.9%) of GPs. Fifty-six (51.3%) GPs used hydroalcoholic solutions, 13 (12.1%) adopted autoclaving, and 106 (98.1%) wore gloves during invasive care. Blood exposure accidents (BEAs) were reported by 38 (35.2%; declared in 26.3% of cases) and were more prevalent in the group aged > 50 years who used significantly more reusable equipment. BEAs were primarily due to needle-stick injuries (86.8%).
We identified the priority axes to be considered in organizing HCAI prevention in the private sector, which allows guidance of GPs, avoiding their isolation and compensating for their lack of training and information. This requires willingness and a culture of improving the quality and safety of care in this sector. Committed involvement of several stakeholders at different levels of decision-making in health care is needed.
This study aimed to develop a checklist for good hygiene practices (GHP) for raw material of vegetable origin using the focus groups (FGs) approach (n = 4). The final checklist for commercialization ...of horticultural products totaled 28 questions divided into six blocks, namely: water supply; hygiene, health, and training; waste control; control of pests; packaging and traceability; and hygiene of facilities and equipment. The FG methodology was efficient to elaborate a participatory and objective checklist, based on minimum hygiene requirements, serving as a tool for diagnosis, planning, and training in GHP of fresh vegetables, besides contributing to raise awareness of the consumers' food safety. The FG methodology provided useful information to establish the final checklist for GHP, with easy application, according to the previous participants' perception and experience.
A study of dried spices and herbs from retail and production premises to determine the microbiological status of such products was undertaken in the UK during 2004. According to EC Recommendation ...2004/24/EC and European Spice Association specifications, 96% of 2833 retail samples and 92% of 132 production batches were of satisfactory/acceptable quality.
Salmonella spp. were detected in 1.5% and 1.1% of dried spices and herbs sampled at production and retail, respectively. Overall, 3.0% of herbs and spices contained high counts of
Bacillus cereus (1%, ≥10
5
cfu
g
−1),
Clostridium perfringens (0.4%, ≥10
3
cfu
g
−1) and/or
Escherichia coli (2.1%, ≥10
2
cfu
g
−1). Ninety percent of samples examined were recorded as being ‘ready-to-use’, 96% of which were of satisfactory/acceptable quality. The potential public health risk of using spices and herbs as an addition to ready-to-eat foods that potentially undergo no further processing is therefore highlighted in this study. Prevention of microbial contamination in dried herbs and spices lies in the application of good hygiene practices during growing, harvesting and processing from farm to fork, and effective decontamination. In addition, the importance of correct food handling practices and usage of herbs and spices by end users cannot be overemphasised.
Pork meat and processed pork products have been the sources of outbreaks of listeriosis in France and in other European countries during the last decade. The aim of this review is to understand how ...contamination, survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes can occur in pork meat products. This study discusses the presence of L. monocytogenes in raw pork meat, in the processing environment and in finished products. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes generally increases from the farm to the manufacturing plants and this mainly due to cross-contamination. In many cases, this pathogen is present in raw pork meat at low or moderate levels, but foods involved in listeriosis outbreaks are those in which the organism has multiplied to reach levels significantly higher than 1000 CFU g⁻¹. In such cases, L. monocytogenes has been able to survive and/or to grow despite the hurdles encountered during the manufacturing and conservation processes. Accordingly, attention must be paid to the design of food-processing equipment and to the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfecting procedures in factories. Finally, the production of safe pork meat products is based on the implementation of general preventive measures such as Good Hygiene Practices, Good Manufacturing and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point.
Successful food hygiene training and the consent of safe food handling practices learnt during training are critical elements in the control of food-borne illnesses throughout the world. It is true ...for food handlers and vendors belonging to all sectors. But, it is all the more urgent for street vendors because they are more exposed to environmental hazards and are predominantly from much weaker socio-economic backgrounds and yet cater to the general mass. Using a cross-sectional study design a sample of 80 street food vendors were selected and provided with training to evaluate the existing Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) regarding food safety and hygiene and the change of the same after training interventions. Responses regarding KAP on food safety and hygiene before and after training revealed that there was a significant change in their perception to food safety knowledge and also practices. The knowledge level of the food vendors increased from an average 24.35%–66.2% after training interventions. The overall performance rating of full adoption of good hygiene practices by the vendors ranged from 37.5% to 50.8% in post-training period.
When designing mastitis-prevention and control programs, it is important to know the level of adoption of mastitis-prevention management practices and control programs and the herd-level prevalence ...of contagious mastitis pathogens. Our objectives were to estimate: (1) adoption of recommended mastitis-preventive management on Canadian dairy farms; (2) herd-level prevalence of contagious mastitis pathogens on Canadian dairy farms; and (3) associations of certain management practices with the isolation of
Staphylococcus aureus from the bulk tank milk from Canadian dairy farms.
In total, 226 farms participating in dairy herd improvement milk recording were randomly selected. All participating farms in British Columbia had free-stall barns and 85% of farms in Québec had tie-stall barns. Post-milking teat disinfection was practised on 96% of the farms and 72% had implemented blanket dry-cow treatment.
Weighted and province-stratified prevalence of
Streptococcus agalactiae and
Staph. aureus in bulk tank milk was 4% (95% confidence interval: 0–12%) and 74% (95% confidence interval: 61–86%), respectively. Highest
Staph. aureus prevalence was found in Nova Scotia (91%) and lowest prevalence in British Columbia (38%). No
Mycoplasma spp. were isolated, but detection of
Mycoplasma spp. could have been hampered by the frozen shipment and storage of the milk samples.
Management practices associated with a lower probability of isolating
Staph. aureus were blanket dry-cow treatment and believing that a nutritionist is important in mastitis data review. Having the milking equipment checked by an independent technician at least once a year and rubber mats or mattresses in the free-stall barns were associated with an increased probability of isolating
Staph. aureus from the bulk tank. Most of Canadian dairy farms adopted important mastitis-prevention practices, such as post-milking teat disinfection and drying off all cows with antibiotics; however, improvements can still be made. A few management practices were associated with the prevalence of
Staph. aureus in bulk tank milk, such as dry-cow treatment and barn type for the lactating cows. Further work has to be carried out to investigate to what extent the associations are causal.
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