Microbiological Evaluation of Personnel and Food Contact Surfaces in a Mass Meal Production Plants

In this study, it was aimed to examine the samples collected from food contact surfaces and personnel working in food preparation belonging to a public institution in Kayseri, in terms of the presence of indicator microorganisms. During the study, the facility was visited four times at one-month intervals between April and July 2021. In each visit, swab samples taken from 24 personnel working at the facility in food preparation and 16 equipment and food contact surfaces (knife, meatball shaping machine, mincing machine, meat chopper, vegetable chopper, and bench) were used as material. The samples were analyzed by using conventional methods for total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) count and coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) contamination status. In the study, 6.6%, 3.3%, and 4.4% of the analyzed personnel hand swabs were found to be contaminated with S. aureus, E. coli, and total coliform, respectively. It was determined that all of the surface samples in contact with raw food at the facility were contaminated with total coli form and E. coli, and 96.8% with S. aureus. The results of the study showed that the majority of the personnel working in the facility where mass food production is made in a public institution in Kayseri province comply with the hand hygiene rules, but the equipment and surfaces utilized in the food preparation stages are insufficiently sanitized and carry the risk of cross contamination.