Food safety knowledge and practices of abattoir and butchery shops and the microbial profile of meat in Mekelle City,Ethiopia

Objective:To assess the food safety knowledge and practices in meat handling,and to determine microbial load and pathogenic organisms in meat at Mekelle city.Methods:A descriptive survey design was used to answer questions concerning the current status of food hygiene and sanitation practiced in the abattoir and butcher shops.Workers from the abattoir and butcher shops were interviewed through a structured questionnaire to assess their food safety knowledge.Bacterial load was assessed by serial dilution method and the major bacterial pathogens were isolated by using standard procedures.Results:15.1%of the abattoir workers had no health certificate and there was no hot water,sterilizer and cooling facility in the abattoir.11.3%of the butchers didn’t use protective clothes.There was a food safety knowledge gap within the abattoir and butcher shop workers.The mean values of bacterial load of abattoir meat,butcher shops and street meat sale was found to be 1.1×10~5,5.6×10~5and 4.3×10~6 cfu/g,respectively.The major bacterial pathogens isolated were Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.Conclusions:The study revealed that there is a reasonable gap on food safely knowledge by abattoir and butcher shop workers.The microbial profile was also higher compared to standards set by World Health Organization.Due attention should be given by the government to improve the food safety knowledge and the quality standard of meat sold in the city.

Poor hygienic conditions of butcheries and high level of microbiological contamination of meat sold in Nampula city,Mozambique

The present study aimed to evaluate the hygiene practices and the quality of meat sold in butcheries in the city of Nampula,Mozambique.Of the twelve butcheries in the city,only seven participated in the study,which was divided into four categories:hygienic conditions of buildings and facilities,equipment,furniture and utensils,good handling practices for handlers,and microbiological quality of meat products.Results showed that most of the butcheries(71%)had poor hygiene conditions,such as walls with cracks and holes and lack of washbasins in the production area.In addition,the majority(71%)of butcheries used a reusable dirty cloth to clean equipment and utensils,and only 43%had a cold room or refrigerated chamber for meat conservation.Regarding personal hygiene,100%of the handlers washed and changed their clothes daily,but 71%did not properly wash their hands before handling food.Microbiological analysis revealed that 86%of the cutting tables swabs and 43%of the hand blades had E.coli counts above 4 Log,and the presence of Salmonella was observed in 71%of meat samples.Overall,the study highlights the need for improvement in hygiene practices and the quality of meat sold in butcheries in Nampula.