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RFP Indian Journal of Hospital Infection 2(1):p 41-47, January-June 2025. | DOI: NA
Original Article
Microbial Contamination and Poor Hygienic Practices among Food Handlers in a Slum of Kolkata: A Matter of Concern
Sayan Bhattacharyya, Aloke Biswas, Aparajita Dasgpta, Amit Banik, Soumit Roy, Pritam Ghosh, Atul Raj
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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
RFP Indian Journal of Hospital Infection 2(1):p 41-47, January-June 2025. | DOI: NA
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Timeline
Received : February 13, 2025
Accepted : April 29, 2025
Published : June 21, 2025
Abstract
Purpose: Unsafe methods of food processing and food handling with relative lack of proper storage facilities possess higher risk of food-borne diseases. Current IDSP data suggested that nearly half of reported out breaks were food-borne. Proper hygienic practices are essential to preclude the microbial contamination from food establishments through sanitation barrier. Objectives: To find out the prevalence and predictors of poor hygienic practices and microbial contamination of hands among food handlers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 137 randomly selected food handlers in Chetla, Kolkata from June to September 2019. Participants were interviewed using a predesigned, pretested schedule. Hygienic practices were observed using a predesigned pretested checklist. Micro biological assessments of hand swabs were also conducted. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 and logistic regression was used. Results: Microbial contamination was observed in nearly two-third (69.3%) of the participants’ hand. High colony count (≥20 CFU/cm²) was noticed in 40% cases. Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest (36.5%) identified bacteria in their hand. Most of them (56.9%) had poor hygienic practices. Majority had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge (78.8%) and attitude (68.6%). Positive growth was significantly associated with Poor hygienic practice (P-value <0.01), unsatisfactory level of knowledge (P-value <0.01) and attitude (P-value <0.05). Conclusion: High prevalence of bacteriological growth indicated failure in safe food handling practices. Further training is needed to improve their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding safe food handling. Effective and inclusive food safety policy and legislation is the need of the hour.
References
- 1. Food safety [Internet]. [cited 2020 Apr 30]. Available from:https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/food-safety.
- 2. Out breaks: Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) [Internet]. [cited 2020 Apr 30]. Available from: https://idsp.nic.in/index4.php?laQng=1&level=0&linkid=403&lid=3685.
- 3. Curtis V, Cairncross S. Effect of washing hands with soap on diarrhoea risk in the community: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2003 May;3(5):275–81.
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Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest in this work.
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Cite this article
Licence:
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| Received | Accepted | Published |
|---|---|---|
| February 13, 2025 | April 29, 2025 | June 21, 2025 |
DOI: NA
Keywords
Food SafetyFood HandlingFood-Borne DiseasesDrug Resistance-MicrobialHand HygieneSearch for Similar Articles
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Timeline
| Received | February 13, 2025 |
| Accepted | April 29, 2025 |
| Published | June 21, 2025 |
licence
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.