Hazards and Critical Control Points of Street-Vended Chat, a Regionally Popular Food in Pakistan

Abstract

A hazard analysis (which included watching operations, measuring temperatures of foods throughout preparation and display, and sampling and testing for microorganisms of concern) was conducted of a street vendor's operation. Chat is a popular dish in certain areas of Pakistan. It consists of sliced cooked potatoes, fried graham and pulse dough, and chick peas or red beans garnished with lasi (a fermented milk) and a fruit syrup. Staphylococci reached the cooked potatoes during peeling, cutting, and other handling. These bacteria increased up to 105 while the contaminated foods were held for several hours. Counts up to 105 Bacillus cereus were isolated from the cooked doughs after a 6-h or longer holding period. Large numbers (usually >105) of coliform bacteria and aerobic mesophilic colonies (106–9) were isolated from all foods after handling and holding for several hours. Ingestion of these foods must be considered high risk unless handling of cooked items can be kept to a minimum and the time of holding reduced to less than 6 h. Critical control points are handling after cooking and holding on display. Health agency personnel in developing countries, vendors, and consumers of these foods need to be informed of the hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

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