1,721,143 research outputs found
The catering industry as a source of campylobacteriosis in Europe - A review
No full textThermotolerant species of Campylobacter are the causative agents of the human illness called campylobacteriosis. The number of confirmed cases of human campylobacteriosis in the European Union followed a significant increasing trend in the period 2008-2012, and continued to be the most commonly reported zoonosis with 214,779 confirmed cases in 2013; the notification of human campylobacteriosis is today mandatory in most European Member States. Recent reports from the European Food Safety Authority have identified catering (catering services, restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars) as the most frequently reported setting for Campylobacter infection (EFSA and ECDC, 2015). As can be evinced from the analysis of the scientific literature, the quality of raw meat has been identified as a parameter of fundamental importance, but the contribution of incorrect food handling procedures is by no means negligible. In fact, poor hygiene during poultry meat preparation as well as inadequate cooking and cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat food were found to be the main causes for the spread of campylobacteriosis related to the catering industry
The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in mass catering: An overview in the European Union
No full textListeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of the human illness called listeriosis. The data reported in the last 15 years of scientific literature concerning the relationship between this microorganism and the catering sector showed a permanent presence of the opportunistic pathogen through the years, though with low frequencies. Even though the pathogenic capacity of L. monocytogenes is practically circumscribed to a few risk categories as pregnant women, newborns and different kinds of immunocompromised people, given its high case-fatality rate this disease represents the second cause of death for foodborne infection in Europe. As it emerged from the reviewed literature, L. monocytogenes was recovered in many different food categories, which testifies the widespread of the pathogen in the food chain. The main causes of L. monocytogenes presence were poor microbiological quality of raw materials, cross-contamination, inadequate cleaning practices, improper storage temperature, inadequate preparation processes, and a lack in the training of staff on food hygiene. In particular, cross-contamination of foods can be reduced by hand washing, use of gloves, separation of raw materials from end products, sanitation and disinfection of equipment and food contact surfaces, hence, a structured training program of staff on these practices is essential
Campylobacteriosis Associated with Mass Catering: A Survey on the European Union Cases
No full textThe genus Campylobacter comprises Gram-negative spiral-shaped bacteria, which can cause a foodborne illness in humans called campylobacteriosis; the infection generally occurs through the consumption of undercooked chicken or ready-to-eat meals that have been in contact with contamined raw chicken. The occurrence of pathogens in foods may be caused by cross-contamination, mainly due to insufficient hygiene of the staff and the environment, and/or by improper conditions enabling survival and growth of microorganisms, like inadequate cooking or temperature abuse.
In Europe, the general principles and requisites of food safety legislation have been established by Regulation (EC) 178/2002, followed by Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. One of the basic obligations foreseen by Regulation (EC) 852/2004 is that food businesses operators have to implement permanent procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles in order to ensure the safety of products. In recent years, public catering has taken on an increasingly important role in the lives of working people, and food safety linked to the consumption of out-of-home meals has become a critical issue; in particular, the increase in the cases of campylobacteriosis highlights the need for continuous monitoring and control of the presence of Campylobacter spp. in the food chain. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) estimates that the cost of the episodes of campylobacteriosis for the health system, in terms of lost productivity in the European Union, is around € 2.4 billion a year. Recent microbiological studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Denmark showed that cases of Campylobacter infection (well recognised or not) depended largely upon an incorrect application of good manufacturing procedures, hygiene related to the handling of raw materials (mainly poulty meat) and cooking. This last procedure was recognised as one of the main critical points. To date, the Commission Decision (EC) 516/2007 regulates the tolerance to the presence of thermotolerant species of Campylobacter on slaughtered carcasses, but it does not specify tolerances for foods ready for consumption, as already provided for other pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. Though current European legislation on zoonoses requires prompt notification of episodes of human infectious diseases to the National Health System, a lack of official data occurs in several European Countries because of the absence of harmonized procedures for monitoring and recording the cases of campylobacteriosis
The luminometer as a useful tool in the assessment of surface cleanliness: the case study of a university canteen [Impiego del luminometro nella valutazione dello stato di pulizia delle superfici: il caso studio di una mensa universitaria]
No full textSOMMARIO
La qualità microbiologica degli ambienti di
lavorazione e distribuzione dei pasti è fondamentale
per la sicurezza alimentare nella ristorazione collettiva
e le analisi microbiologiche ne rappresentano
l’indispensabile strumento di verifica. Ad integrazione
di tali analisi, sono altresì disponibili metodi rapidi,
come quelli che misurano la concentrazione di ATP,
utili per valutare lo stato di pulizia globale delle
superfici. Il presente studio è stato condotto per
verificare l’utilità di un luminometro per la valutazione
in tempo reale delle operazioni di pulizia in una
mensa universitaria in ambito HACCP. L’integrazione
dei dati forniti dal luminometro con i risultati delle
analisi microbiologiche ha consentito di ottenere
un quadro più completo della qualità igienica di
superfici e strumenti di lavoro. L’uso del luminometro,
fornendo dati disponibili istantaneamente, consente
al personale incaricato delle operazioni di pulizia di
valutare oggettivamente la qualità del proprio lavoro.
SUMMARY
The microbiological quality of the work environment
is of fundamental importance in order to guarantee
food safety in the catering industry and the
microbiological analyses are the indispensable tool
for its evaluation. Nevertheless, rapid methods, as
those based on the measurement of the ATP content
are today available for an overall evaluation of
surface cleanliness. The present study was carried out
to verify the usefulness of a luminometer for the realtime
evaluation of cleaning operations in a university
canteen within a HACCP approach. The integration
of the data provided by the luminometer with the
results of the microbiological analyses allowed a
more complete picture of the hygienic quality of
the work surfaces to be obtained. The use of the
luminometer, providing instantly available data,
does permit the personnel in charge of the cleaning
operations to objectively evaluate the quality of the
work done
Monitoring of the HACCP system in mass catering: a case study [La verifica del sistema HACCP nella ristorazione collettiva: un caso studio]
No full textSOMMARIO
Il livello di igiene nella ristorazione collettiva è
aumentato per effetto dell’applicazione del sistema
HACCP. Nonostante questi progressi, la ristorazione
collettiva rimane responsabile di numerose infezioni ed
intossicazioni alimentari. Per questo, risulta indispensabile
un approccio corretto nell’applicazione del sistema
HACCP, che preveda un’attività continua di verifica e
aggiornamento.
Il presente lavoro riporta i risultati del monitoraggio
microbiologico di alimenti, superfici, mani e camici
degli operatori e aria confinata effettuato in una mensa
universitaria che produce circa 1.000 pasti al giorno. È
altresì riportata una sintesi conclusiva dell’impatto delle
procedure di verifica e delle azioni correttive sull’efficacia
del piano HACCP.
I parametri microbiologici si sono rivelati efficaci al
fine di valutare la corretta implementazione del sistema
HACCP e l’efficacia delle misure correttive, evidenziando
un progressivo miglioramento delle condizioni igieniche
globali.
SUMMARY
The hygiene of food processes and products has been
substantially improved in the last decades thanks to the
mandatory application of the HACCP system. Nevertheless,
mass catering is still responsible for a relevant percentage of
food diseases. For these reasons, it is particularly important
that the functioning of the HACCP plan in mass catering
is adequately verified through proper microbiological
analyses of foods and environment and the plan carefully
revised accordingly. The present work reports the results of
microbiological monitoring of foods, surfaces, personnel,
and indoor air, in a university canteen which produces
about 1,000 meals a day. The impact of corrective actions
on the effectiveness of the HACCP plan is also reported.
The results showed the progressive improvement in the
overall hygiene of the canteen. The usefulness of the
microbiological analyses for the assessment of the HACCP
system and of the effects of the corrective actions was
ultimately proven
Microbiological quality of meat-based meals and operation of control systems within a food service environment
No full textThe catering industry is subjected to general European Union regulations concerning food hygiene, which has made the application of HACCP principles mandatory for almost all the activities in the food sector. The present report is aimed at evaluating the microbiological quality of meat-based meals and operation of control systems within a university restaurant. Unfortunately, the effort made over eleven years in terms of monitoring the temperature of the sliced boiled beef and implementing some preventive and corrective actions was not enough to bring under control the key Critical Control Points (CCP) of the cold storage in a university canteen. This was most likely due to the persistence of some structural deficiencies concerning human resources associated with possible cross-contamination phenomena. As a consequence of the inability to control these key CCP efficaciously, the (suggested) limit for the counts of the common contaminants (total mesophilic aerobes) was overcome in all the years except three, those for Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms were exceeded in two out of the eleven years of monitoring, and that for Bacillus cereus only in one year.
No samples were found positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., or Escherichia coli
Evaluation of HACCP System Implementation on the Quality of Mixed Fresh-Cut Salad Prepared in a University Canteen: A Case Study
No full textThe increasing awareness that foods can represent vehicles
for health risk factors has caused scientists and public authorities to
multiply their efforts to reduce these risks to within acceptable limits. Nevertheless,
some challenging issues still remain unsolved and new ones have
recently emerged, such as the increase in outbreaks of foodborne diseases
originating from the consumption of meals at catering facilities. The study
described in this article was aimed at evaluating the microbiological quality
of mixed fresh-cut salads at an Italian university canteen operating in
conformity with the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system.
The effectiveness of the preventive and corrective measures taken was
also assessed with respect to the frequency of unsatisfactory salad samples.
During the investigation, E. coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes
were never detected. By contrast, a high number of samples exceeded
the mandatory or suggested limits for food processing hygiene (in terms of
mesophilic aerobes, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and
sulfite-reducing clostridia counts). Despite the introduction of a series of
preventive and corrective actions, the results were only partially satisfactory;
this was most likely due to the impossibility of having available an adequate
level of human resources that are indispensable to correctly putting
the HACCP procedures into daily practice
Characterization and exploitation of sourdough lactic acid bacteria from bakery products manufacturing in the Marche region (Central Italy).
No full textAnti-staling agents for bakery industry [Coadiuvanti tecnologici anti-raffermamento per l'industria dei lievitati da forno].
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