scholarly journals Frequency of Inadequate Chicken Cross-Contamination Prevention and Cooking Practices in Restaurants†

2013 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 2141-2145 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA GREEN BROWN ◽  
SHIVANGI KHARGONEKAR ◽  
LISA BUSHNELL ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
Cooking Practices ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Safety Knowledge ◽  
Cutting Boards

This study was conducted by the Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose was to examine restaurant chicken preparation and cooking practices and kitchen managers' food safety knowledge concerning chicken. EHS-Net members interviewed managers about chicken preparation practices in 448 restaurants. The study revealed that many restaurants were not following U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code guidance concerning cross-contamination prevention and proper cooking and that managers lacked basic food safety knowledge about chicken. Forty percent of managers said that they never, rarely, or only sometimes designated certain cutting boards for raw meat (including chicken). One-third of managers said that they did not wash and rinse surfaces before sanitizing them. Over half of managers said that thermometers were not used to determine the final cook temperature of chicken. Only 43% of managers knew the temperature to which raw chicken needed to be cooked for it to be safe to eat. These findings indicate that restaurant chicken preparation and cooking practices and manager food safety knowledge need improvement. Findings from this study could be used by food safety programs and the restaurant industry to target training and intervention efforts to improve chicken preparation and cooking practices and knowledge concerning safe chicken preparation.

scholarly journals Restaurant Food Cooling Practices†

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2172-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA GREEN BROWN ◽  
DANNY RIPLEY ◽  
HENRY BLADE ◽  
DAVE REIMANN ◽  
KAREN EVERSTINE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Air Space ◽  
Food Workers ◽  
Cooling Methods

Improper food cooling practices are a significant cause of foodborne illness, yet little is known about restaurant food cooling practices. This study was conducted to examine food cooling practices in restaurants. Specifically, the study assesses the frequency with which restaurants meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations aimed at reducing pathogen proliferation during food cooling. Members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Health Specialists Network collected data on food cooling practices in 420 restaurants. The data collected indicate that many restaurants are not meeting FDA recommendations concerning cooling. Although most restaurant kitchen managers report that they have formal cooling processes (86%) and provide training to food workers on proper cooling (91%), many managers said that they do not have tested and verified cooling processes (39%), do not monitor time or temperature during cooling processes (41%), or do not calibrate thermometers used for monitoring temperatures (15%). Indeed, 86% of managers reported cooling processes that did not incorporate all FDA-recommended components. Additionally, restaurants do not always follow recommendations concerning specific cooling methods, such as refrigerating cooling food at shallow depths, ventilating cooling food, providing open-air space around the tops and sides of cooling food containers, and refraining from stacking cooling food containers on top of each other. Data from this study could be used by food safety programs and the restaurant industry to target training and intervention efforts concerning cooling practices. These efforts should focus on the most frequent poor cooling practices, as identified by this study.

Transfer of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium from Beef to Tomato through Kitchen Equipment and the Efficacy of Intermediate Decontamination Procedures

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 1252-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. GKANA ◽  
A. LIANOU ◽  
G.-J. E. NYCHAS
Keyword(s):  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Cutting Boards

ABSTRACT It is well established that a high percentage of foodborne illness is caused by failure of consumers to prepare food in a hygienic manner. Indeed, a common practice in households is to use the same kitchen equipment for both raw meat and fresh produce. Such a practice may lead to cross-contamination of fruits and vegetables, which are mainly consumed without further processing, with pathogenic microorganisms originating from raw meat. The present study was performed to examine the transfer of the pathogenic bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from inoculated beef fillets to tomatoes via contact with high-density polyethylene (PE), stainless steel (SS), and wooden (WD) surfaces and through cutting with SS knives. Furthermore, the following decontamination procedures were applied: (i) rinsing with tap water, (ii) scrubbing with tap water and liquid dish detergent, and (iii) using a commercial antibacterial spray. When surfaces and knives that came into contact with contaminated beef fillets were not cleaned prior to handling tomatoes, the lowest level of pathogen transfer to tomatoes was observed through PE surfaces. All of the decontamination procedures applied were more effective on knives than on surfaces, while among the surface materials tested, WD surfaces were the most difficult to decontaminate, followed by PE and SS surfaces. Mechanical cleaning with tap water and detergent was more efficient in decontaminating WD surfaces than using commercial disinfectant spray, followed by rinsing only with water. Specifically, reductions of 2.07 and 1.09 log CFU/cm2 were achieved by washing the WD surfaces with water and detergent and spraying the surfaces with an antibacterial product, respectively. Although the pathogen's populations on SS and PE surfaces, as well as on tomatoes, after both aforementioned treatments were under the detection limit, the surfaces were all positive after enrichment, and thus, the potential risk of cross-contamination cannot be overlooked. As demonstrated by the results of this study, washing or disinfection of kitchen equipment may not be sufficient to avoid cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods with foodborne pathogens, depending on the decontamination treatment applied and the material of the surfaces treated. Therefore, separate cutting boards and knives should be used for processing raw meat and preparing ready-to-eat foods in order to enhance food safety.

scholarly journals Food Worker Experiences with and Beliefs about Working While Ill†

2013 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 2146-2154 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. RAND CARPENTER ◽  
ALICE L. GREEN ◽  
DAWN M. NORTON ◽  
ROBERTA FRICK ◽  
MELISSA TOBIN-D'ANGELO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Job Loss ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Job Responsibilities ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Food Workers ◽  
The U.S

Transmission of foodborne pathogens from ill food workers to diners in restaurants is an important cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that food workers with vomiting or diarrhea (symptoms of foodborne illness) be excluded from work. To understand the experiences and characteristics of workers who work while ill, workplace interviews were conducted with 491 food workers from 391 randomly selected restaurants in nine states that participated in the Environmental Health Specialists Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 60% of workers recalled working while ill at some time. Twenty percent of workers said that they had worked while ill with vomiting or diarrhea for at least one shift in the previous year. Factors significantly related to workers having said that they had worked while ill with vomiting or diarrhea were worker sex, job responsibilities, years of work experience, concerns about leaving coworkers short staffed, and concerns about job loss. These findings suggest that the decision to work while ill with vomiting or diarrhea is complex and multifactorial.

Purchase, storage, and preparation of eggs and poultry in selected European countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 749-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kadri Koppel ◽  
Loreida Timberg ◽  
Roman Shalimov ◽  
Laura Vázquez-Araújo ◽  
Angel A. Carbonell-Barracchina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Foodborne Illnesses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
Poultry Products ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Raw Poultry ◽  
Cutting Boards

Purpose – Foodborne illnesses are often related to raw and cooked poultry and meat, eggs, and their products. Consumer practices related to these foods have been studied in many countries, however, little comparison has been made among different countries. The purpose of this paper is to characterize consumers’ purchase, storage, handling, and preparation of poultry products and eggs in four European countries: Russia, Estonia, Italy, and Spain. Design/methodology/approach – Approximately 100 selected consumers in each location completed a questionnaire that included sections about poultry products and eggs purchase temperatures and locations, storage locations such as refrigerator, freezer, or cabinet, and preparation such as washing eggs and poultry before cooking, and the use of cutting boards. Findings – Although educating consumers in European countries is common, some food safety aspects may need to be additionally addressed. The results indicated differences in purchase and storage practices of raw eggs. In Russia and Estonia consumers who participated in the study purchased both refrigerated and room temperature eggs whereas in Italy (84 percent) and Spain (87 percent) eggs typically were purchased at room temperature. However, almost all consumers in all countries stored eggs in the refrigerator. In Russia 70 percent of the consumers who participated in the study immediately froze raw meat, poultry, or seafood after purchase; while in other countries about a quarter of the consumers froze the raw meat. Research limitations/implications – This research was limited by the number of respondents in each country that does not allow extrapolation of results. Originality/value – Food preparation practices revealed behavior that supports cross-contamination during cooking, such as washing raw poultry and eggs. A uniform approach to food safety practices related research, such as presented in this study, would help define overlapping critical points in consumer behavior and create educational messages based on the information gathered.

scholarly journals Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Jordan Universities Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tareq M. Osaili ◽  
Anas A. Al-Nabulsi ◽  
Asma' O. Taybeh
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
University Students ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Safety Knowledge ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) amongst university students in Jordan and changes in food-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlation between food safety KAP scores and general characteristics of university students was also evaluated.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted where an Internet-based questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms. The sample consisted of 1,739 respondents from 29 Jordanian universities. The participants completed a 58-item questionnaire covering demographical characteristics and different food safety aspects which were namely “COVID-19 food-related attributes,” “food cooking and storage,” “personal hygiene.” “cross-contamination prevention/disinfection procedures.” and “restaurant hygiene.” Descriptive statistics, Chi square tests and binary logistic analysis were used to assess the data.Results: The sample consisted of 67.2% females with a mean age of 21.3 ± 1.8 years. The average overall score of the tested aspects was 14.1/34.0 which corresponds to 41.3% of the questions being answered correctly. The percentage of correct answers of “COVID-19 food-related attributes,” “food cooking and storage,” “cross-contamination prevention/disinfection procedures,” “personal hygiene” and “restaurant hygiene” was 56.8, 36.6, 28.4, 44.6. and 36.9%, respectively. A significant (P <0.05) association between respondents' food safety KAP scores and gender, marital status, university degree, employment status, self-rating of food safety knowledge, and the source of food safety information.Conclusion: University students in Jordan had insufficient KAP scores which is a concerning trend during the pandemic. Teaching fundamentals of food safety in the form of short courses/ lectures is recommended.

scholarly journals Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Roles in Hurricane Response and Postdisaster Mosquito Control1

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2s) ◽  
pp. 78-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ruiz ◽  
Justin Gerding ◽  
Miguel Cruz ◽  
Joseph Laco ◽  
Renee Funk
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Disease Registry ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

ABSTRACT Hurricanes and other natural disasters leave behind multifaceted and complex environmental challenges that may contribute to adverse health outcomes, such as increased potential for exposure to vector-borne disease. Through an incident management system tailored for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) fulfills a leadership role in facilitating the agency's natural disaster emergency response activities through coordination with other CDC programs, liaising with other government agencies and impacted jurisdictions, and responding to requests for technical assistance. On the ground, NCEH/ATSDR deploys environmental health (EH) practitioners who provide consultation and inform mosquito control efforts from a systematic perspective. In the wake of recent hurricanes, NCEH staff mobilized to manage critical elements of the responses and to provide assets for addressing environmental hazards and conditions that contributed to the presence of mosquitoes. In this article, we describe NCEH/ATSDR's emergency response roles and responsibilities, interactions within the national emergency response framework, and provision of EH technical assistance and resources, particularly in the context of postdisaster mosquito control.

Cutting Boards of Plastic and Wood Contaminated Experimentally with Bacteria

1994 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
NESE O. AK ◽  
DEAN O. CLIVER ◽  
CHARLES W. KASPAR
Keyword(s):  
Room Temperature ◽  
Mineral Oil ◽  
Nutrient Broth ◽  
Listeria Innocua ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
To Come ◽  
Cutting Boards ◽  
Status Differences

The microbiology of Plastic and wooden cutting boards was studied, regarding cross-contamination of foods in home kitchens. New and used Plastic (four polymers plus hard rubber) and wood (nine hardwoods) cutting boards were cut into 5-cm squares (“blocks”). Escherichia coli (two nonpathogenic strains plus type O157:H7), Listeria innocua, L. monocytogenes, or Salmonella typhimurium was applied to the 25-cm2 block surface in nutrient broth or chicken juice and recovered by soaking the surface in nutrient broth or pressing the block onto nutrient agar, within 3–10 min or up to ca. 12 h later. Bacteria inoculated onto Plastic blocks were readily recovered for minutes to hours and would multiply if held overnight. Recoveries from wooden blocks were generally less than those from plastic blocks, regardless of new or used status; differences increased with holding time. Clean wood blocks usually absorbed the inoculum completely within 3–10 min. If these fluids contained 103–104 CFU of bacteria likely to come from raw meat or poultry, the bacteria generally could not be recovered after entering the wood. If ≥106 CFU were applied, bacteria might be recovered from wood after 12 h at room temperature and high humidity, but numbers were reduced by at least 98%, and often more than 99.9%. Mineral oil treatment of the wood surface had little effect on the microbiological findings. These results do not support the often-heard assertion that Plastic cutting boards are more sanitary than wood.

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