Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether or not the assessment of surface cleanliness could make a contribution to visual inspections of food premises.
Methods and Results: Forty‐five premises were studied with both rapid (ATP) and traditional microbiological swabbing being used to test surfaces that either come into direct contact with prepared foods or were likely to be touched by hands during food preparation. A significant link was found between aerobic colony counts and ATP measurements. In most cases, the visual appearance of surfaces could not be used to accurately predict either microbial or ATP results.
Conclusion: This study suggests that ATP testing is a useful indicator of surface cleanliness and could be helpful to local authority officers as part of risk assessment inspections.
Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides further evidence that visual inspection alone may not always be adequate to assess surface cleanliness. In high‐risk premises, ATP could, if appropriately targeted, help identify potential problem areas. The results are available at the time of the inspection and can be used as an on‐the‐spot teaching aid.
An outbreak of C.perfringens occurred in a care home. The likely cause was consumption of mince & vegetable pie and/or gravy. Epidemiological evidence can be used to help prosecute businesses with food safety offences in such circumstances.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.