Microbiological safety assessment of restaurants and HACCP-certified kitchens in hotels: A study in eastern China

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology 2024-12, Vol.425, p.110868, Article 110868
• Main Authors: Lai, Honggang, Liu, Minjun, Tang, Yuanyue, Ren, Fangzhe, Xu, Mingshu, Guo, Changbin, Jiao, Xin-an, Huang, Jinlin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Campylobacter; Campylobacter - isolation & purification; China; Colony Count, Microbial; compliance; Cooking - standards; cross contamination; Escherichia coli; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food Handling - standards; Food Microbiology; food preparation; Food Safety; food safety education; food service; Food service establishment; HACCP; HACCP system; Hand Hygiene - standards; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - methods; Humans; Hygiene; Microbe contamination; microbiological quality; plate count; Poultry-based food; Restaurants - standards; risk; risk reduction; safety assessment
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110868

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety within food service establishments, effectively reducing the risk of foodborne diseases. This study focused on assessing the risk of microbe contamination in poultry-based cook-served food during meal preparation in four restaurants and five selected HACCP-certified hotels in eastern China. We examined samples collected from 26 poultry-based cooked dishes, 248 food contact surfaces, 252 non-food contact surfaces, and 121 hand swabs. Our findings indicated a favorable trend of compliance with Chinese national standards, as Escherichia coli and Campylobacter were not detected in any cooked food samples. However, the microbiological assessments revealed non-compliance with total plate count standards in 7 % of the cooked samples from restaurants. In contrast, both dine-in hotels and restaurants exhibited significant non-compliance with guidance concerning food and non-food contact surfaces. Furthermore, our study found that chefs' hand hygiene did not meet microbiological reference standards, even after washing. Notably, Campylobacter persisted at 27 % and 30 % on chefs' hands, posing a significant risk of cross-contamination and foodborne diseases. These findings emphasize the urgent necessity for enhanced supervision of hygiene procedures and process monitoring in the HACCP-certified establishments engaged in the preparation and serving of food. Targeted interventions and food safety education for different chef subgroups can enhance food handling practices and reduce the risk of foodborne diseases in independent food establishments. •This study aimed to assess microbe contamination risk in food establishments in China.•Escherichia coli and Campylobacter were not detected in any of the cooked food samples.•Food establishments exhibited critical non-compliance with guidelines for kitchen surfaces.•Chefs' hand hygiene might possess a huge risk of cross-contamination and foodborne diseases.•Targeted interventions and education are needed to improve the awareness of safe handle practices.