Food Safety Controls during Bulk Food Preparation—An Observational Analysis
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Selection of Study Participants
2.2. Interviews on Manpower and Business Practices Affecting Food Safety
2.3. Observations on the Implementation of Food Hygiene Measures
2.4. Collection of Food and Environmental Samples for Microbiological Testing
2.5. Statistical Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Scale of Operation Alone Did Not Determine the Occurrence of Hygiene Non-Conformities
3.2. A Food Safety-Oriented Culture Calling for Consistent Ownership of Food Safety Habits across Catering Operations Is Essential to Ensure Safe Food, Especially When Order Quantities Peak
3.3. Risk Scores Related to Temperature Control, Cross-Contamination Control and Food Handler Hygiene Did Not Significantly Differ (Kruskal–Wallis, p > 0.05) between Premises with and without Previous Hygiene Non-Conformities
3.4. Poor Microbiological Profiles Were Associated with Dishes Containing Ingredients with High Inherent Bacterial Loads
3.5. Implications to Food Safety Guidance and Policy
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Type of Catering Premise (n) | Median (Lower–Upper Limits) | Adjustments Made during Peak Periods | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Daily Meal Orders per Premise 1 | Staff Strength per Premise | Meals Prepared per Staff per Day | ||
Caterers with history of hygiene non-conformities (10) | 800 (27–3000) | 10 (4–30) | 100 (31–200) | No adjustment (3), hire extra help (2), automation (1), purchase RTE food (1), stop taking orders (1), Don’t know (2) |
Caterers without history of hygiene non-conformities (10) | 900 (80–2000) | 8.5 (4–25) | 70 (20–500) | No adjustment (5), hire extra help (2), purchase RTE food (1), Don’t know (2) |
800 (27–3000) | 9 (4–30) | 100 (20–500) |
Food Hygiene Control Parameters | Caterers Implementing Food Hygiene Controls, % (n) 1 | ||
---|---|---|---|
With Prior Hygiene Non-Conformities 6 | Without Prior Hygiene Non-Conformities | Total | |
Temperature controls 2 | |||
Designated refrigerator/freezer used for raw food | 100 (10/10) | 100 (10/10) | 100 (20/20) |
Designated refrigerator/freezer used for cooked/RTE food | 60 (6/10) | 60 (6/10) | 60 (12/20) |
Temperature of frozen/chilled food maintained from receiving to pre-preparation | 100 (9/9) | 89 (8/9) | 94 (17/18) |
Thawing of food is not done at ambient temperature | 38 (3/8) | 33 (3/9) | 35 (6/17) |
Cooling of cooked food is not done at ambient temperature | 50 (3/6) | 75 (6/8) | 64 (9/14) |
RTE food temperature controlled after cooking/preparation | 33 (3/9) | 12 (1/8) | 24 (4/17) |
RTE food temperature controlled during transport to catering site | 100 (2/2) | 50 (1/2) | 75 (3/4) |
Cross-contamination/sanitation controls | |||
Premises are kept in sanitary condition 3 | 50 (5/10) | 100 (10/10) | 75 (15/20) |
Food contact surfaces are in sanitary condition | 70 (7/10) | 80 (8/10) | 75 (15/20) |
Proper disposal measures 4 are in place | 80 (8/10) | 100 (10/10) | 90 (18/20) |
Signs of pest infestation observed | 40 (4/10) | 60 (6/10) | 50 (10/20) |
Raw and RTE food segregated upon receiving | 100 (9/9) | 57 (4/7) | 81 (13/16) |
Raw and RTE food segregated at storage, before preparation | 89 (9/10) | 89 (8/9) | 90 (17/19) |
Raw and RTE food segregated during preparation | 67 (6/10) | 78 (7/9) | 94 (17/18) |
Raw and RTE food segregated after preparation | 90 (9/10) | 67 (6/9) | 80 (15/19) |
Designated chopping boards used for raw and RTE food | 80 (8/10) | 100 (8/8) | 80 (15/19) |
Designated knives used for raw and RTE food | 80 (8/10) | 88 (7/8) | 83 (15/18) |
Food handler (FH) hygiene | |||
FHs avoid unnecessary contact with RTE food and food contact surfaces | 44 (4/9) | 78 (7/9) | 61 (11/18) |
Hand washing facilities (water basin, soap, hand towels) are available | 50 (5/10) | 60 (6/10) | 55 (11/20) |
Hand washing facilities are used exclusively for hand washing | 56 (5/9) | 80 (8/10) | 68 (13/19) |
FHs wash and dry hands thoroughly | 50 (4/8) | 60 (6/10) | 56 (10/18) |
FHs wash hands upon contamination | 50 (4/8) | 56 (5/9) | 53 (9/17) |
FHs maintain good personal hygiene 5 | 70 (7/10) | 100 (10/10) | 85 (17/20) |
FHs are prohibited from handling food when sick | 78 (7/9) | 90 (9/10) | 84 (16/19) |
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Hartantyo, S.H.P.; Selvaraj, R.; Ho, J.; Oh, J.Q.; Er, J.C.; Li, A.; Aung, K.T. Food Safety Controls during Bulk Food Preparation—An Observational Analysis. Foods 2023, 12, 2376. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122376
Hartantyo SHP, Selvaraj R, Ho J, Oh JQ, Er JC, Li A, Aung KT. Food Safety Controls during Bulk Food Preparation—An Observational Analysis. Foods. 2023; 12(12):2376. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122376
Chicago/Turabian StyleHartantyo, Sri Harminda Pahm, Renuka Selvaraj, Jiaying Ho, Jia Quan Oh, Jun Cheng Er, Angela Li, and Kyaw Thu Aung. 2023. "Food Safety Controls during Bulk Food Preparation—An Observational Analysis" Foods 12, no. 12: 2376. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122376
APA StyleHartantyo, S. H. P., Selvaraj, R., Ho, J., Oh, J. Q., Er, J. C., Li, A., & Aung, K. T. (2023). Food Safety Controls during Bulk Food Preparation—An Observational Analysis. Foods, 12(12), 2376. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122376