Microbial safety of ready-to-eat food sold by retailers in Thohoyandou, Limpopo province, South Africa

Figures & data

Table 1. Checklist for food hygiene practices at different retailer shops

Questions	Observation
Food handling practice
Are separate utensils and equipment used for ready-to-eat food?	Yes/No
Is wrapping and packaging used for ready-to-eat food kept in a clean area?	Yes/No
Are ready-to-eat foods kept separate on display and screened from customers?	Yes/No
Personnel hygiene
Are staffs serving wearing clean, suitable protective clothing and following personal hygiene rules particularly washing hands?	Yes/No
Pest control
Are premises pest proofed and free from any sign of pest?	Yes/No

Table modified from: Food Standards Agency (www.food.gov.uk)

Table 2. Food hygiene practices observation

Questions	Category	Retailer 1	Retailer 2	Retailer 3	Retailer 4
Food handling practices
Are separate utensils and equipment used for ready-to-eat food?	Yes/No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Is wrapping and packaging used for ready-to-eat food kept in a clean area?	Yes/No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Are ready-to-eat foods kept separate on display and screened from customers?	Yes/No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Personal hygiene
Are staffs serving wearing clean, suitable protective clothing and following personal hygiene rules particularly washing hands?	Yes/No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Pest control
Are premises pest proofed and free from any sign of pest?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Figure 1. Microbial analysis of Bacillus spp count in ready-to -eat foods sold in Thohoyandou.

Figure 2. Microbial analysis of presumptive Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat food sold in Thohoyandou.

Figure 3. Total Coliforms counts in ready-to-eat food sold in Thohoyandou retailers.

Figure 4. E. coli of ready-to-eat food sampled from retailers in Thohoyandou.

Figure 5. Total yeast counts in ready-to-eat food sold in Thohoyandou.

Figure 6. Total plate count in ready-to-eat food sold in Thohoyandou retailers.

Table 3. Biochemical test results

Microorganism	Indole test	Citrate utilization test
E. coli	Positive (Pink)	Negative (No colour change)
S. aureus	Negative (Yellow)	Positive (Green blue)
Bacillus cereus	Negative (Yellow)	Positive (Green blue)