School cafeterias face significant challenges in preventing pathogen contamination, with recent audits revealing consistent trouble spots. A study examining 143 food and environmental samples in an institutional cafeteria detected Escherichia coli exceeding safety limits in six food samples, while 16 samples showed elevated aerobic bacterial counts. Yeast and mold contamination appeared in 14 food samples, exceeding established thresholds. Perhaps more alarmingly, pathogens including coliform bacteria , Staphylococcus aureus , and mold were identified on food handlers’ hands and coats, as well as on work surfaces, machinery, and cutting boards. These findings highlight how environmental surfaces become reservoirs for microbes that can transfer to food during preparation.

Multiple factors

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