Italian Journal of Food Safety最新文献

{"title":"Identification and quantification of potential microplastics in shellfish harvested in Sardinia (Italy) by using transillumination stereomicroscopy.","authors":"Giuseppa Lorenzoni,&nbsp;Rita Melillo,&nbsp;Alessandro Graziano Mudadu,&nbsp;Gabriella Piras,&nbsp;Simona Cau,&nbsp;Katia Usai,&nbsp;Luisa Corda,&nbsp;Sara Salza,&nbsp;Tiziana Tedde,&nbsp;Bruna Vodret,&nbsp;Sebastiano Virgilio,&nbsp;Domenico Meloni","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10738","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plastics are non-biodegradable polymers made up of different groups of petrochemical materials. Several biotic and abiotic factors can change the density of plastic fragmenting it and originating microplastics (MPs). MPs have been defined as small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in size. Due to their small size, they are an emerging concern in the marine environment since they can be ingested by aquatic organisms, especially filter-feeding organisms, such as bivalve mollusks. Impacts of MPs exposure have been shown at various levels of biological organization, from cellular to tissue to individual and population levels. For example, oxidative stress and inflammation have been observed in copepods and mussels, obstruction and physical damage of the digestive tract were found in fish and swimming behavior alterations, disruption of foraging and feeding behavior and overall reduced fitness and survival were observed in fish and oysters. In addition, MPs can act as a vector for the transfer of chemicals to marine biota. The aim of the present study was the identification and quantification of potential MPs in shellfish harvested in Sardinia (Italy) by using transillumination stereomicroscopy. Bivalves were collected from 4 of the main production areas located along the Sardinian coast and selected according to the principles of the risk assessment. The results of the present study demonstrated the presence of potential MPs in 70% of the analyzed samples: the presence of MPs in bivalve mollusks may pose a threat to food safety, and there is an urgent need to evaluate the potential risks of MPs to human health.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 4","pages":"10738"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ff/9c/ijfs-11-4-10738.PMC9795820.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10467595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of <i>post-mortem</i> inspection techniques change on the detection capability of low public health impact diseases of slaughtered pigs: A quasi-experimental study.","authors":"Cecilia Villani,&nbsp;Rolando Piccioni","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10761","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Slaughtered animals are regularly submitted to <i>post-mortem</i> inspection to ensure that all the edible parts are fit for human consumption. According to Regulation (EU) No 219/2014, pig carcasses inspection is exclusively visual as palpation and incision could lead to cross-contamination and spread of relevant zoonotic agents. However, when compared to incision and palpation, the visual method is characterized by low sensitivity; thus, the omission of incision and palpation could lead to a reduced detection capability of organic lesions. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of exclusively visual inspection to mark pulmonary and hepatic lesions associated with low public health impact diseases in pork carcasses. A quasiexperimental- before/after research protocol has been used. All the <i>post-mortem</i> inspections have been carried out in a slaughterhouse located in the province of Teramo (IT), on 7,764 swine from 2011 to 2017. Carcasses undergone the only visual inspection have shown a statistically significant reduction (pvalue <0.0001) in the diagnosis of hepatic (decrease of 59%) and pulmonary diseases (decrease of 38. 5%). To overcome the limits of the low sensitivity of the visual inspection, as well as the inter-operator diagnostic variability, the high number of carcasses examined is proposed as a factor conferring external validity to the study, which provides quantitative evidence in support of the causal association between the modified inspection technique and the reduced diagnostic capacity. A further support derives from the assessment of the prevalence of hepatic and pulmonary diseases in species for whom the inspection technique is not changed.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 4","pages":"10761"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/e6/0f/ijfs-11-4-10761.PMC9795818.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10523946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of <i>Brucella</i> spp. in milk from aborted and non-aborted animals in Dhamar governorate, Yemen.","authors":"Ayman H Al-Afifi, Dhary Alewy Almashhadany, Aziz S H Al-Azazi, Ahmed M Khalaf, Mohammed Naji Ahmed Odhah, Naif A Al-Gabri","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10370","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10370","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brucella infection in animals is considered a great problem in most countries of the world. Our study designed to determine the prevalence of brucella in field animal's milk in Dhamar governorate, Yemen. Total of 808 raw milk samples from non-aborted field animals, 120 milk samples from aborted animals, and 30 pasteurized milk samples were teste by Milk-Ring Test (MRT), milk-ELISA test, isolation and identification of brucella species, and antibiotic susceptibility. The prevalence of brucella in milk samples from field animals was 0.8%, 2.6%, and 2% in cows, sheep, and goat milk samples respectively with MRT, and 0.8%, 1.3% and 1.6% in cows, sheep and goat milk samples respectively with the milk- ELISA test. The prevalence rate in milk samples from aborted animals was 33%, 64% and 41.2% with the MRT and 39%, 49%, and 41.2% in cows, sheep and goats respectively with the milk-ELISA test. All pasteurized milk samples were negative for the milk-ELISA test. The result of isolation showed 0.1% of Brucella in milk samples from field animals while 9.2% from aborted animals. All isolates of Brucella species were sensitivities to rifampicin, doxycycline, kanamycin, gentamicin, streptomycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin, while resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, and novobiocin. In conclusion, the high prevalence of milk brucella especially in aborted animals needs focusing and build controlling strategies plans to decrease the losses to the economy and avoid transferred to humans with unpasteurized milk consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 4","pages":"10370"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/1c/76/ijfs-11-4-10370.PMC9795821.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10467598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resistome and virulome diversity of foodborne pathogens isolated from artisanal food production chain of animal origin in the Mediterranean region.","authors":"Frédérique Pasquali,&nbsp;Lucia Gambi,&nbsp;Alessandra De Cesare,&nbsp;Cecilia Crippa,&nbsp;Vasco Cadavez,&nbsp;Ursula Gonzales-Barron,&nbsp;Antonio Valero,&nbsp;Fouad Achemchem,&nbsp;Alex Lucchi,&nbsp;Antonio Parisi,&nbsp;Gerardo Manfreda","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10899","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of the present study was to investigate the resistome and virulome diversity of 43 isolates of <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>, <i>Salmonella enterica</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> collected from artisanal fermented meat and dairy products and their production environments in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Morocco. After DNA extraction, genomes were sequenced, and <i>de novo</i> assembled. Genetic relationships among genomes were investigated by SNP calling and in silico 7- loci MLST. Genomes of the same species belonged to different ST-types demonstrating the circulation of different clones in in the same artisanal production plant. One specific clone included genomes of <i>S</i>. Paratyphi B belonging to ST43 and repeatedly isolated for more than a year in an artisanal sausage production plant. No genomes but three (belonging to <i>Salmonella enterica</i>), were predicted as multiresistant to different antimicrobials classes. Regarding virulence, genomes of <i>L. monocytogenes</i> belonging to ST1, ST3 and ST489, as well as genomes of <i>S.enterica enterica</i> (ST43, ST33, ST314, ST3667, ST1818, ST198) and ST121 <i>S. aureus</i> were predicted as virulent and hypervirulent. The occurrence of virulent and hypervirulent <i>L. monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> strains in artisanal fermented meat and dairy productions as well as in their finished products suggests the need for a specific focus on prevention and control measures able to reduce the risk of these biological hazards in artisanal food productions.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 4","pages":"10899"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/77/64/ijfs-11-4-10899.PMC9795823.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10467600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"XXXI Convegno Nazionale dell’Associazione Italiana Veterinari Igienisti (AIVI)| Teramo, 22-24 settembre 2022","authors":"The Editors","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10883","url":null,"abstract":"[This abstract book contains the abstracts presented at the 31st National Congress of the Italian Association of Veterinary Food Hygienists (AIVI)] \u0000  \u0000[In italian]","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41793350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intradiaphragmatic abscesses in a wild boar (Sus scrofa): Inspective implications based on anatomopathological evidences.","authors":"Andrea Piccinini,&nbsp;Gianluigi Ferri,&nbsp;Alberto Olivastri,&nbsp;Fabio Rossi,&nbsp;Anna Rita Festino,&nbsp;Alberto Vergara","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10346","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The intradiaphragmatic localization of an abscess is rarely described in humans and in other animal domestic and wild species, and can be caused by penetrative traumas (<i>i.e.</i>, firearm injuries). Here we describe two intradiaphragmatic abscesses in a hunted adult male wild boar (<i>Sus scrofa</i>) pluck, associated with adhesion phenomena with the contiguous anatomical structures (pleural, phrenic, and glissonian serosas) and observed during the <i>post mortem</i> inspection, in accordance with the Reg. EU 627/2019. One of these lesions also presented a phreno-abdominal fistula. We found in cytopathological evaluation of the neoformations' content the presence of spheroidal bacterial <i>soma</i>, characterized by linearly concatenated \"<i>Streptococcus</i>-like\" aggregation pattern. Furthermore, microbiological assays revealed a polymicrobial pattern characterized by the presence of telluric microorganisms, some of which have a marked pyogenic action (<i>Streptococcus suis</i> type I, <i>Sphingomonas paucimobilis</i>, <i>Carnobacterium divergens</i>, and <i>Lactobacillus sakei</i>). Our results and collected evidence demonstrate the pathogenetic hypothesis of bacterial contamination secondary to penetrative trauma caused by a not-mortal projectile's wound, defining the inspective behaviour according to the cogent legislation. These lesions, in the reason of their potential relation to toxemia, bacteremia and septicemia phenomena, represent a sanitary risk that impose, from a normative point of view, the total condemnation of the carcass. These inspective implications, originating from the observation and interdisciplinary description of the anatomopathological and microbiological features of the lesions, are directly projected on the normative scenario, providing useful elements to guarantee the health of the consumer.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 3","pages":"10346"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4c/7a/ijfs-11-3-10346.PMC9531142.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33492205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial of tropical fruit and vegetable waste extract for food-borne pathogenic bacteria.","authors":"Titik Budiati,&nbsp;Wahyu Suryaningsih,&nbsp;Titania Nur Bethiana","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10510","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10510","url":null,"abstract":"Tropical fruit and vegetable wastes become great potential natural resources of bioactive compounds for antimicrobial. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of antimicrobial extracted from tropical fruit and vegetable waste to inhibit foodborne pathogenic bacteria (Aeromonas hydrophilla, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus). A total of six tropical fruit waste (peel of pineapple, jackfruit, durian, coffee, mangosteen, and cacao pods) and five tropical vegetable waste (stem of sembukan, lamtoro pods, jengkol shell, bitter bean pods, Indian marsh fleabane leave) was extracted by using maceration method. The antimicrobial activity of extracts was carried out by using disc diffusion assay and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. The flavonoids in extract were identified and quantified by using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The highest antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (B. cereus, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus) was shown by jengkol, bitter bean and mangosteen waste extract in the range of 0,00038 to 4,2% for MIC. The highest antimicrobial activity inhibits Gram-negative bacteria (A. hydrophilla, E. coli, S. Typhimurium and V. parahaemolyticus) was shown by jengkol, bitter bean, mangosteen, sembukan and lamtoro waste extract in the range of 0,00038 to 3,1% for MIC which have apigenin, catechin, coumaric acid, gallic acid, genistein, hydroxybenzoic acids, luteolin, myricetin, naringenin dan quercetin as bioactive compounds. Total phenol of those waste extracts was in the range of 0.663 to 4,441 mg GAE/g. Jengkol, bitter bean, mangosteen, sembukan and lamtoro waste extract shown to be a potential natural antimicrobial to inhibit food-borne pathogenic bacteria.","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 3","pages":"10510"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/1c/a4/ijfs-11-3-10510.PMC9531141.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33492206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of different cooking treatments on the residual level of sulphites in shrimps.","authors":"Giovanna Berardi,&nbsp;Aurelia Di Taranto,&nbsp;Valeria Vita,&nbsp;Ciro Marseglia,&nbsp;Marco Iammarino","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sulphiting agents (or sulphites) are a class of food additives identified in Europe by codes E220-E228. Their addition in crustaceans is permitted with specific legal limits for avoiding the so-called \"blackspot\" that is a defect that compromises the marketability of these products. High levels of ingested sulphites may cause pseudoallergenic reactions in susceptible people. Moreover, they can exercise mutagenic and citotoxic effects other that destroy some vitamins such as thiamine, folic acid, nicotinamide and pyridoxal. The residual level of sulphites in crustaceans can be considerably affected by the specific method of cooking. In this study, 5 traditional procedures of cooking - grilling, oven, frying, steaming and stewed cooking - were compared to verify their effect on the residual concentration of sulphites in shrimp samples. The analytical determination was carried out using a fully validated and accredited analytical method by ion chromatography with conductivity detection. The results demonstrated that cooking leads to the decrease of sulphites levels in the products, with the highest percentage of reduction (55.3%) obtained by steaming and the lowest using oven (13.9%). The results of this study confirm that the specific method of cooking should be taken into account during \"total diet studies\" and risk assessment for appraising the effective number of sulphites ingested from crustaceans consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 3","pages":"10029"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ec/1f/ijfs-11-3-10029.PMC9490886.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33482484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Occurrence of drug-resistant enteric bacteria and associated factors among food handlers of the Mass Catering Center: A laboratory-based cross-sectional study.","authors":"Chalachew Yenew,&nbsp;Minwuyelet Andualem,&nbsp;Fitalew Tadele,&nbsp;Sileshi Mulatu,&nbsp;Getaneh Atikilt,&nbsp;Asaye Alamneh Gebeyehu","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.10221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.10221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to determine antimicrobial- resistance (AMR) enteric bacterial load and associated factors among Food Handlers (FHs) ofMass Catering Center (MCC), Ethiopia. From January to June 2020, a laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted using the standard Swab microbiological analysis method and the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on 160 randomly selected FHs and food serving areas and analyzed with RStudio- 1.2.5033 for contamination, resistance level, and source determination. The contamination of AMR <i>Escherichia coli</i> was33.3% (95% CI, 31.5%, 36.4%), <i>Salmonella</i> 30% (95% CI, 29.8%, 36.0%) and <i>Shigella</i> 20% (95% CI, 19.2%, 26.9%) among the hand of FHs serving in MCC. The contamination was more likely associated with low work experience [AOR, 1.42 (95% CI: 1.22-1.87)], a low educational level [AOR, 1.62 (95% CI: 1.52-189)], irrational drug use characteristics [AOR, 1.75(95% CI: 1.64-2.00)], lack of sufficient food safety knowledge [AOR, 1.52 (95% CI: 1.32-1, 67)] of the FHs and the sanitary condition of the food serving area [AOR:1.98 (95% CI, 1.45, 2.53)]. The contamination of the hand of FHs serving in the MCC with AMR enteric FBB at the University cafeteria could indicate the likelihood of the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 3","pages":"10221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/8e/19/ijfs-11-3-10021.PMC9490887.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33482483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A descriptive cross-sectional study of food hygiene practices among informal ethnic food vendors in Gauteng Province, South Africa.","authors":"Tulisiwe P Mbombo-Dweba,&nbsp;Christian A Mbajiorgu,&nbsp;James W Oguttu","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2022.9885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2022.9885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Demand for ethnic foods by the immigrant population has led to proliferation of ethnic food shops (shops selling foods eaten by different ethnic groups). However, the status of the food hygiene practices among these vendors is unknown. This study investigated food hygiene practices among informal ethnic food vendors in Gauteng Province (GP), South Africa. Participants included immigrants managing informal ethnic food shops in GP. Snowball sampling was used to identify participants (n=40). A questionnaire/checklist was used to collect information on hygiene practices. Although majority of ethnic food shops (95%; n=38) operated in permanent structures, just over half (55%; n=22) of these facilities had windows. The remaining 5% (n=2) of the vendors operated from the boot/trunk of cars. None of the participants had a food probe used to monitor the temperature of food. Most of the participants (65%; n=26) did not own freezers, and just above half (55%, n=22) had microwave ovens. Majority (95%; n=38) of the respondents had access to toilet facilities and tap water at their premises. Only two (5%; n=2) respondents brought water from home, and these used public toilets at shopping centers in the vicinity of their businesses. Majority (72.5%; n=29) of the respondents were not aware of the importance of keeping food above 65˚C. Slightly over half (55%, n=22) of the respondents did not reheat the food before serving, and only 10 % (n=4) followed proper food reheating procedures. Poor food hygiene practices and lack of appropriate food handling equipment and facilities are common among ethnic food vendors. The widespread lack of awareness of the importance of holding food above 65˚C, and the high prevalence of not reheating the food before serving, and not following proper food reheating procedures, are a major source of concern as these practices are potentially associated with promoting food contamination with foodborne diseasecausing organisms. It is envisaged that findings reported here can guide policy makers to design policies that promote selling safe food by ethnic food vendors. To enhance compliance, it is recommended that such policies should be user friendly to the operators of informal ethnic food shops.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":"11 2","pages":"9885"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2022-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/1c/52/ijfs-11-2-9885.PMC9295204.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40625597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}