Use of Rapid Microbial Kits for Regular Monitoring of Food-contact Surfaces towards Hygiene Practices

AbstractFood business operators should promote safe and healthy food, utilizing simple methods for microbe identification and verification. This study attempts to determine the practicability measurement of hygiene practices in two states of Malaysia. It used an inexpensive and user-friendly microbial kit to evaluate the cleanliness level of Food-Contact Surfaces (FCS). A total of 72 samples in triplicate detected 70% of all coliforms. The prevalent contaminations suggest that food service operators may need to improve the cleanliness of FCS. In conclusion, easy-to-use microbial kits are practical and self-check approach in hygiene and should be made mandatory or alternative for the operator

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning food safety among restaurant workers in Putrajaya, Malaysia

The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices on food safety held by food handlers working in restaurants in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Inappropriate food handling is the main factor contributing to food borne disease outbreaks. A total of 127 food handlers were randomly selected from 23 restaurants and the data collected in September 2013 through self-administered questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS version 16. Generally knowledge of food safety was good with the mean score 90.3 ± 7.787. However, respondents lacked knowledge about the hazards of reheating cooked food (75.1 ± 25.662) and the safe temperature of cooked food (71.9 ± 33.548). Knowledge differed significantly by age groups (F=2.530; p=0.044). Respondents had positive attitudes about food safety, with a mean score of 93.9 ± 6.813, although there were significant differences between trained and untrained workers (t=2.406; p=0.018); Malaysian ethnic groups (F=2.502; p=0.034); Malaysians and non-Malaysians (t=3.273; p=0.001) and due to differences in education levels (F=6.057; p=0.003). The mean score for practice was 92.9 ± 7.647 and again there were significant differences related to education levels (F=1.345; p=0.003), gender (t=-2.120; p=0.036) and ethnicity of Malaysian workers (F=2.502; p=0.034). A strong relationship was found between knowledge and attitudes about food safety (r=0.266; p=0.002) and between knowledge and practice (r=0.203; p=0.022). In conclusion, this study suggests that food handlers in Putrajaya restaurants displayed good knowledge, a positive attitude and an excellent practices regarding food safety. Yet results showed the food workers still lack basic knowledge of food safety, particularly related to reheated food and safe temperatures for cooked food

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Concerning Food Safety among Restaurant Workers in Putrajaya, Malaysia

The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices on food safety held by food handlers working in restaurants in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Inappropriate food handling is the main factor contributing to food borne disease outbreaks. A total of 127 food handlers were randomly selected from 23 restaurants and the data collected in September 2013 through self-administered questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS version 16. Generally knowledge of food safety was good with the mean score 90.3 ± 7.787. However, respondents lacked knowledge about the hazards of reheating cooked food (75.1 ± 25.662) and the safe temperature of cooked food (71.9 ± 33.548). Knowledge differed significantly by age groups (F=2.530; p=0.044). Respondents had positive attitudes about food safety, with a mean score of 93.9 ± 6.813, although there were significant differences between trained and untrained workers (t=2.406; p=0.018); Malaysian ethnic groups (F=2.502; p=0.034); Malaysians and non-Malaysians (t=3.273; p=0.001) and due to differences in education levels (F=6.057; p=0.003). The mean score for practice was 92.9 ± 7.647 and again there were significant differences related to education levels (F=1.345; p=0.003), gender (t=-2.120; p=0.036) and ethnicity of Malaysian workers (F=2.502; p=0.034). A strong relationship was found between knowledge and attitudes about food safety (r=0.266; p=0.002) and between knowledge and practice (r=0.203; p=0.022). In conclusion, this study suggests that food handlers in Putrajaya restaurants displayed good knowledge, a positive attitude and an excellent practices regarding food safety. Yet results showed the food workers still lack basic knowledge of food safety, particularly related to reheated food and safe temperatures for cooked food. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, food safety, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Food court hygiene assessment and food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in Putrajaya

This cross sectional study aimed to explored the pattern of socio-demographic distribution, to assess the level of KAP of food safety; and the relationship with the level of premise cleanliness in the food courts at Putrajaya. Distribution of food handlers socio-demographic profile was Malaysian (62.0%), male (70.4%), working experienced in food industry (82.0%) and attended food handler training (85.0%). The mean age was 28.7 years and 85.4% having income not less than RM 1,500 monthly. 78.5% of the food handlers at educational level were found as primary/secondary school. 15.0% of the respondents had not attended the food sanitation training. The findings reveal that food handlers' KAP were high with a mean percentage score more than 79.0%.The majority of the food courts in Putrajaya had consistently moderate level of cleanliness (63.5%) with the mean of 83.03%. Only 27.4% of the food courts were in the level of clean situation (>89% of premise cleanliness score) and 9.1% were not in the clean condition (<70% of premise cleanliness score)

Assessing Staphylococcus aureus in ready to eat (RTE) food and risk assessment of food premises in Putrajaya

This cross sectional study was conducted to determine of the presence of S. aureus in ready-to-eat (RTE) food, food premise sanitation level and the relationship between S. aureus presence in RTE food and the sanitation levels of food premises in the locality of the study. A total of 106 samples of RTE food were analyzed by MPN-PCR and the results confirmed that 56 (53%) samples contained S. aureus. Surveyed by type, cooked RTE food had 50 (45%) of the sample having S. aureus presence compared to raw RTE with only 56 (55%). As for risk assessment, a checklist containing nine (9) main parameters consisting of 40 variables as a basis, was conducted on 53 food premises to determine their sanitation levels. The results revealed that 49 premises (92%) are sanitary while the remaining 4 (8%) were categorized as unsanitary. In terms of risk level, 4 premises (8%) were categorized as ‘high risk’, 26 (49%) ‘moderate risk’, and the remaining 23 (43%) are at ‘low risk’. The study found no significant relationship between the presence of S. aureus in RTE food with the level of sanitation of premises in Putrajaya

Temporary food handlers’ compliance with effective food-hygiene practices

Success in food handling depends, in part, on a self-regulation practice factor that accounts for better results in food safety. A self-report study conducted on 318 food handlers reveal that temporary workers were able to comply with the overall hygiene practices outlined in the 1983 Malaysian Food Act and the 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations. This study also shows that proper training of these workers could result in high-level hygiene practices at public food service institutions that would satisfy the community’s appetite for safe and healthy food

Effect of spiritual intelligence on leadership effectiveness and food-hygiene practices

This study suggests an effort through a Holistic View of spiritual intelligence to address low-quality food problem at public institutions in East Malaysia. It explored the causal relationship of this value to Food Performance, Leadership Effectiveness, and Food-Hygiene Practice through 210 food handlers. The Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the relationship. Holistic View was found to have a positively significant relationship with the performance but, not Leadership Effectiveness. Holistic View among food handlers was found unaffected by Food hygiene practices

Enhancing regular monitoring of food-contact surface hygiene with rapid microbial kits

To ensure that food is always healthy and safe, food business operators utilize a simple and practical method of identifying and verifying microbes. This study looks at the practicality of an inexpensive and user-friendly microbial kit that evaluates the cleanliness level of 72 samples of food-contact surfaces (FCS) of food service establishments in two states of Malaysia. It detected 70% coliform contamination which suggests that food service operators may need to improve the cleanliness of FCS. It can be concluded that the microbial kit used is a practical self-check approach for determining the hygiene level of any food service operation and should be made mandatory