Food Hygiene Surveillance in Italy: Is Food Ice a Public Health Risk?

State of the Art in Hygienic Quality of Food Ice Worldwide: A Ten-Year Review

Ice consumption has widely increased over the last decade. Cases of ice contamination by various microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) have been documented in the literature. In this review, we summarize the findings of selected articles on the hygienic and sanitary quality of food ice from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2023. A total of 14 articles found via the PubMed search engine during the study period were reviewed. From the comparison between the ice produced on an industrial scale and the ice produced on a local scale in food businesses, the latter was found to be more contaminated by microorganisms. The most detected bacteria included Escherichia coli, coliforms, Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus; three studies evaluated the presence of Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus; two studies highlighted the presence of viruses (Rotavirus and Norovirus). Finally, two studies detected the presence of fungi (molds and yeasts). Almost all authors of the studies argued that ice contamination also depends on the hygienic-sanitary quality of the ice-making machines. The results show that the information currently available in the literature on the hygienic-sanitary quality of ice is incomplete and that future national and international scientific studies need to be carried out.

Hygiene practices of food of animal origin operators in primary schools in the Mono Department of Benin. A cross-sectional study

Food of animal origin is an important source of proteins for human beings. However, they are subject to microbial contamination. It is essential to ensure the safety of food products intended for school children regarding their vulnerability to food poisoning. Good sanitary quality of these products requires the respect of good practices during their processing and distribution. This study aims to evaluate the conditions of processing and sale of food of animal origin to school children in public schools, with or without canteens, in the Department of Mono in southern Benin. In the Department of Mono in the Republic of Benin, 137 operators were interviewed in public schools, with one operator per school, using a questionnaire created on the Epicollect5 platform. The interview showed that the operators involved in the processing and sale of food to school children were women. Most of these operators had primary education and did not undergo a medical examination. They transported food of animal origin mixed with other types of food. Frying and cooking were used to prepare or process the food. Direct observation revealed that food is produced in an unhealthy environment. The operators did not wear gloves during food processing but some wore aprons. All the operators washed their hands with soap and water (tap or well water) after using the toilet. There was not an adequate handwashing facility. The majority of operators used wooden cutting boards. Overall, food operators especially in schools without a canteen do not follow good hygiene and manufacturing practices in the kitchen. To guarantee food safety for school children, training should be organized to make operators aware of good hygiene and manufacturing practices in kitchens.

Preliminary Investigation on Hygienic-Sanitary Quality of Food Vending Machines

The consumption of hot drinks dispensed from vending machines has become a common practice, both in workplaces and during free time. Every day, millions of bulk drinks are sold, but the quality of the products distributed may not always be guaranteed, as it is related to many factors such as the quality of the water, the raw materials used, and the effectiveness of the equipment's cleaning system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary requirements of hot drinks and vending machine surfaces. The investigation highlighted the microbial contamination of both coffee and vending machine surfaces. Although the "coffee break" is usually considered a moment of pleasure, apparently not subject to specific jurisdiction, the products dispensed can represent a health risk if the hygienic conditions are not fully respected. Therefore, official controls carried out by the Prevention Department represent a suitable way for evaluating and guaranteeing the hygienic-sanitary requirements, providing for corrective actions, when needed, to protect consumers.

Microbial contamination, community diversity and cross-contamination risk of food-contact ice

Ice is widely used in the food industry, as an ingredient (edible ice) directly added to food or as a coolant (food-contact ice) for fresh food preservation along the cold chain. However, it has been shown that food-contact ice are easily polluted by pathogens, potentially endangering the public's health. In the present study, the hygiene status of food-contact ice collected from various sources (local farmer markets, supermarkets, and restaurants) was evaluated through the quantitative estimation of total bacterial counts and coliform counts as well as the prevalence of foodborne pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella). The average levels of total bacterial counts in the ice for preserving the aquatic products, poultry meat and livestock meat are 4.88, 4.18 and 6.11 log₁₀ CFU/g, respectively. Over 90 % of the food-contact ice were positive for coliforms. The detection rate of S. aureus in all the food-contact ice samples was highest, followed by Salmonella, V. parahaemolyticus and L. monocytogenes, and Shigella was not detected. In addition, the bacterial community diversity of food-contact ice was analyzed with high-throughput sequencing. The dominant bacteria taxa in food-contact ice are heavily dependent on the environment of sampling sites. The predicted phenotypes of biofilm forming, oxidative stress tolerance, mobile element containing and pathogenesis were identified in the bacteria taxa of food-contact ice, which should be carefully evaluated in future work. Finally, the cross-contamination models of pathogen transfer during ice preservation were established. The results showed that the transfer rates of ice-isolated S. aureus between food and ice were significantly higher than that of V. parahaemolyticus. The binomial distribution B(n, p) exhibited a better fitness to describe the pathogen transfer during ice preservation when the transfer rate was low, in turn, the transfer rate-based probability model showed a better fit to the data when the transfer rate was high. Monte Carlo simulation with Latin-Hypercube sampling was carried out to predict the contamination levels of S. aureus and V. parahaemolyticus on food as the result of cross contamination during ice preservation ranging from -2.90 to 2.96 log₁₀ CFU/g with a 90 % confidence interval. The findings of this work are conducive to a comprehensive understanding of the current hygiene status of food-contact ice, and lay a theoretical foundation for the risk assessment of cross-contamination during ice preservation.

Investigations on the Efficacy of Ozone as an Environmental Sanitizer in Large Supermarkets

Awareness of the importance of the microbial contamination of air and surfaces has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of bacteria and fungi in the air and on surfaces within some critical areas of large supermarkets with and without an ozonation system. Surveys were conducted in four supermarkets belonging to the same commercial chain of an Apulian city in June 2021, of which two (A and B) were equipped with an ozonation system, and two (C and D) did not have any air-diffused remediation treatment. There was a statistically significant difference in the total bacterial count (TBC) and total fungal count (TFC) in the air between A/B and C/D supermarkets (p = 0.0042 and p = 0.0002, respectively). Regarding surfaces, a statistically significant difference in TBC emerged between A/B and C/D supermarkets (p = 0.0101). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effect of ozone on commercial structures in Italy. Future investigations, supported by a multidisciplinary approach, will make it possible to deepen the knowledge on this method of sanitation, in light of any other epidemic/pandemic waves.

Hygienic Practices and Structural Conditions of the Food Processing Premises Were the Main Drivers of Microbiological Quality of Edible Ice Products in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam 2019

BACKGROUND

Ice is used in large quantities as refreshment in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, especially in summer time. Contamination of edible ice products with pathogens is a public health concern in various countries, including Vietnam. This study aimed to assess the food safety conditions, the quality of edible ice products and related factors at manufacturing premises in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam in 2019.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Food safety assessment was carried out in all 45 ice producing premises in the province and 79 ice samples were collected and analyzed microbiologically. In-depth interviews were conducted with 2 food safety management staff, 4 owners of premises, and 4 workers.

RESULTS

Only 22.4% (18/79) and 37.8% (30/79) of the premises met requirement for food safety conditions and microbiological food safety requirements, respectively. Half of the ice samples, 51.9% (41/79), were contaminated, 49.4% (39/79) with Escherichia coli and 12.7% (10/79) with total coliforms. Streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa were not detected. The major risks were material, odds ratio (OR) = 4.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.002-17.6), structural challenges in the facilities, OR = 4.3 (95% CI: 1.13-16.7), broken floors or difficulty in cleaning, OR = 5.4 (95% CI: 1.26-22.9), and poor staff hygiene practices, OR = 19.5 (95% CI: 4.2-91.1). Workers lacked knowledge and appropriate practices to prevent microbial contamination of ice products.

CONCLUSIONS

The food safety conditions and the quality of ice cubes at manufacturing premises in Binh Phuoc Province were not acceptable. Hygiene deficiencies in ice producing and handling processes, inadequate knowledge of staff, inadequate food safety management practices, and hygiene conditions of the premises were important factors in producing contaminated ice products. We recommend more staff training and crediting the staff when performing adequate practices, paying attention to broken floors or difficulty in cleaning, structural deficiency, and ensuring regular monitoring of premises. This study adds a special interest to ensure food safety conditions at ice producing premises to prevent microbial contamination of the products.