Evaluation of hygiene practices in catering premises at large-scale events in the UK: Identifying risks for the Olympics 2012

Foodservice strategies for reducing athlete illness at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

AIM

In 2021, infection control guidelines, including those specific to feeding environments, were introduced by the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to reduce virus transmission at the Tokyo 2020 Summer and Beijing 2022 Winter games. This observational cross-sectional study aimed to investigate caterers' compliance to these guidelines which included measures for personal hygiene, sanitisation, and physical distancing at these events.

METHODS

Expert sport dietitians attending Tokyo (n = 15) and Beijing (n = 7) games were surveyed to rate 11 COVID-19 countermeasures as fully (100%), partially or non-compliant at nine dining locations across both events. Descriptive analysis of each countermeasure based on observed compliance and location was conducted and reported as a proportion of the total responses. To better understand participant perspectives of the factors influencing compliance, open responses were systematically coded into themes and sub-themes by researchers through content analysis. Themes generated from participant comments were categorised based on their relevance to specific countermeasures and locations to identify commonalities and disparities in participant experiences, perceptions, and observations.

RESULTS

All main dining halls at both events were observed as 100% compliant to countermeasures on more occasions compared with Tokyo's venues and satellite villages. However, Beijing's three main dining halls, showed a greater compliance compared with Tokyo's main dining hall, likely due to overcrowding in Tokyo. Comments suggested that smaller dining spaces, with overcrowding, may have contributed to reduced compliance to physical distancing measures. Food safety concerns were raised about gastrointestinal distress in Beijing due to food cross-contamination.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that the food service environment may influence caterers' abilities to comply with foodservice safety and infection control guidelines. In the post-pandemic era, enhanced quality control and standardised risk mitigation strategies are needed to improve athletes' health at international sporting events.

Food Safety Practices during Hajj: On-Site Inspections of Food-Serving Establishments

The presence of crowds during Hajj increases the risk of foodborne infection. Yet, research on the practices of food handlers during Hajj is limited. This study aimed to assess compliance with food safety practices and its associated factors during Hajj 2022. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Mecca and Madinah before and during Hajj 2022 and involved 195 food-serving establishments (FSEs) contracted for Hajj catering. Collected data included visit time, establishment location, licensure, whether food handlers had food safety training (professional training), and whether FSEs were under supervision from a consulting office (professional supervision). The included FSEs were 168/195 (86.2%). Two-thirds of FSEs surveyed (113, 67.3%) were under professional supervision, and 91 (54.2%) hired trained food safety workers. Compliance rates varied between outcomes (72.67 ± 17.21% to 88.3 ± 18.8%). Compared to Mecca, Madinah FSEs were more adherent to cleanliness (80.5 ± 27.9% vs. 91.5 ± 19.9%, respectively, p = 0.006). FSEs with trained workers were more likely to comply with proper food safety practices compared to those with untrained workers: cleanliness (OR: 7.2, 95% CI [2.6-20.23], p < 0.001); workers' commitment to health requirements (OR: 2.8, 95% CI [1.1-6.9], p = 0.025); handling of refrigerated and frozen food (OR: 5.27, 95% CI [1.83-15.20], p = 0.004); and food storage practices (OR: 12.5, 95% CI [2.0-12.5], p < 0.001). The role of professional training in increasing food safety practices compliance was highlighted. FSEs in Madinah were more compliant with food safety practices than those in Mecca. Therefore, Mecca FSEs may need stringent safety measures.

Surface Hygiene Evaluation Method in Food Trucks as an Important Factor in the Assessment of Microbiological Risks in Mobile Gastronomy

Street food outlets are characterised by poor microbiological quality of the food and poor hygiene practices that pose a risk to consumer health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hygiene of surfaces in food trucks (FT) using the reference method together with alternatives such as PetrifilmTM and the bioluminescence method. TVC, S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. were assessed. The material for the study consisted of swabs and prints taken from five surfaces (refrigeration, knife, cutting board, serving board, and working board) in 20 food trucks in Poland. In 13 food trucks, the visual assessment of hygiene was very good or good, but in 6 FTs, TVC was found to exceed log 3 CFU/100 cm2 on various surfaces. The assessment of surface hygiene using various methods in the food trucks did not demonstrate the substitutability of culture methods. PetrifilmTM tests were shown to be a convenient and reliable tool for the monitoring of mobile catering hygiene. No correlation was found between the subjective visual method and the measurement of adenosine 5-triphosphate. In order to reduce the risk of food infections caused by bacteria in food trucks, it is important to introduce detailed requirements for the hygiene practices used in food trucks, including techniques for monitoring the cleanliness of surfaces coming into contact with food, in particular cutting boards and work surfaces. Efforts should be focused on introducing mandatory, certified training for food truck personnel in the field of microbiological hazards, appropriate methods of hygienisation, and hygiene monitoring.

Esnaf Lokantalarında Kullanılan Kesme/Doğrama Tahtalarının Gıda Güvenliği Açısından Değerlendirilmesi: İstanbul Örneği

Amaç: Çalışma, gastronomi kültürünün vazgeçilmez bir unsuru olan esnaf lokantalarında gerçekleşmesi olası kritik halk sağlığı ve gıda güvenliği risklerinin başında gelen kesme/doğrama tahtalarından kaynaklı mikrobiyal risklerin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.Yöntem: Çalışma kapsamında İstanbul’un ilçeleri Büyükçekmece, Çatalca ve Silivri’de faaliyet gösteren esnaf lokantalarının mutfaklarında kullanılan kesme/doğrama tahtaların yüzeylerinden steril swap ile mikrobiyolojik numuneler alınmıştır. Numuneler uygun sıcaklık ve sürede inkübasyona bırakılarak, toplam mezofilik aerobik bakteri, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli ve küf-maya sayımı yapılmıştır.Bulgular: Kesme/doğrama tahtalarının yüzeylerinden alınan mikrobiyolojik numunelerde Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, toplam mezofil aerob bakteri sayısı ve küf - maya sayısının ortalamaları sırasıyla 0,74; 0,61; 1,53 ve 1,21 logkob/10 cm2 tespit edilmiştir. Numunelerde değişik sayılarda Staphylococcus aureus tespit edilmesi personel kaynaklı bir kontaminasyona ve yine değişik sayılarda Escherichia coli tespit edilmesi ise fekal kaynaklı bir kontaminasyona işaret etmektedir.Sonuç: Esnaf lokantalarının gıda güvenliği uygulamalarından biri olan iyi üretim uygulamalarına yeterince uyulmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Esnaf lokantalarında gıda güvenliğinin tamamen sağlanabilmesi için Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point - Tehlike Analizleri ve Kritik Kontrol Noktaları (HACCP) gibi gıda güvenliği kontrol sistemlerinin de etkin şekilde uygulanması gerektiğini ifade etmek mümkündür.

Norovirus attribution study: Detection of norovirus from the commercial food preparation environment in outbreak and non-outbreak premises

AIMS

Norovirus remains the most significant virological risk that is transmitted via food and the environment to cause acute gastroenteritis. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that the contamination of the commercial food production environment with norovirus will be higher in premises that have recently reported a foodborne norovirus outbreak than those that have not.

METHODS

Sampling of commercial food production environments was carried out across a 16-month period between January 2015 and April 2016 in the South East and the North West of England by local authority environmental health departments as part of routine surveillance visits to premises. A total of 2982 samples, 2038 virological and 944 bacteriological, were collected from 256 premises. Sixteen of these premises, six from South East and ten from North West England, were sampled as part of a public health outbreak investigation.

RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS

Overall, 2038 swabs were submitted for norovirus testing, with an average of eight swabs per premises (range 4 to 23) and a median of seven. Of the premises sampled, 11.7% (30/256) yielded at least one norovirus-positive sample (environmental, and/or food handler hand swab), and 2.5% of the swabs were positive for norovirus. A peak in the positivity rate was seen in the South East in April 2016. No associations were found between norovirus positivity and bacteriology indicators, or between bacteriology indicators and hygiene ratings.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY

This study demonstrates that food premises and food handlers remain a potential source of norovirus transmission and outbreaks.

A follow-up study of hygiene in catering premises at large-scale events in the United Kingdom

AIMS

To investigate food hygiene practices at large events by assessing the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food, drinking water, food preparation surfaces, cleaning cloths and wristbands worn by food handlers for event security purposes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Over a 7-month period, 1662 samples were collected at 153 events and examined for microbiological contamination. Eight per cent of food samples were of an unsatisfactory quality. A further one per cent contained potentially hazardous levels of human pathogenic bacteria. 27% of water samples, 32% of swabs and 56% of cloths were also unsatisfactory. These results represented an improvement in hygiene compared to a previous study carried out 12 months previously. A fifth of food handler wristbands were contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli and/or coagulase-positive staphylococci, with those bands made from fabric being more frequently contaminated than those made from plastic or other materials.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence that the food hygiene at large-scale events may have improved. However, there is still a need for continued efforts to maintain an ongoing improvement in cleaning regimes and food hygiene management.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study was part of an ongoing focus on large events in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympics. Lessons learnt here will be important in the planning of future large events.