Impacts of Wet Market Modernization Levels and Hygiene Practices on the Microbiome and Microbial Safety of Wooden Cutting Boards in Hong Kong

Abstract

Accessing food through wet markets is a common global daily occurrence, where fresh meat can be purchased to support an urbanizing world population. Similar to the wet markets in many other metropolitan cities in Asia, Hong Kong wet markets vary and are characterized by differing hygiene routines and access to essential modern technologies. The lack of risk assessments of food contact surfaces in these markets has led to substantial gaps in food safety knowledge and information that could help improve and maintain public health. Microbial profiling analyses were conducted on cutting boards that had been used to process pork, poultry, and seafood at 11 different wet markets. The markets differed in hygiene protocols and access to modern facilities. Irrespective of whether wet markets have access of modern infrastructure, the hygiene practices were largely found to be inefficient based on the prevalence of bacterial species typically associated with foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter fetus, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus; indicator organisms such as Escherichia coli; as well as nonfoodborne pathogenic bacterial species potentially associated with nosocomial infections, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae. Other Vibrio species, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus, typically associated with contaminated raw or undercooked seafood with the potential to cause illness in humans, were also found on wooden cutting boards. This study indicated that the hygienic practices used in Hong Kong wet markets are not sufficient for preventing the establishment of spoilage or pathogenic organisms. This study serves as a basis to review current hygiene practices in wet markets and provides a framework to reassess existing safety protocols.

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“…Moreover, these informal marketplaces are more sustainable, as they reduce transport and limit waste and the amount of packaging. It is surely important to consider that, in each form of food product trade, hygienic practices must be guaranteed and implemented to ensure food safety and public health [114]. Moreover, there are also more and more examples of food production in the urban context that are contributing to shortening the food supply chain [115].…”

Questioning the source of identified non-foodborne pathogens from food-contact wooden surfaces used in Hong Kong's urban wet markets

“…Over the years, thanks to public health awareness, significant efforts have been made towards improving the safety and quality of processed fresh meats in these wet markets [ 1 , 2 ]. Nevertheless, despite the increase in food safety awareness, wet markets have repeatedly been identified as epicenters of potential public health hazards [ [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] ], primarily biological hazards.…”

“…Wet markets are densely populated hubs characterized by a large influx of customers and regulated or unregulated meats, and the hygiene level of the wooden cutting boards used to process these meats remains poorly described. Previous reports from Hong Kong wet markets noted a significant breach in cleaning standards meant for wooden cutting boards, in which surface scraping was used in most studied cases as a traditional cleaning technique [ 5 , 15 ]. Further analyses revealed that these hygienic practices were incapable of guaranteeing proper surface hygiene.…”

“…A recent microbial profiling study revealed significant differences in hygienic cleaning protocols and access to modern meat processing facilities in 11 Hong Kong wet markets [ 5 ]. That study demonstrated that that inefficient hygienic routine practices of cutting boards were responsible for harboring foodborne pathogenic organisms belonging to Campylobacter , Clostridium , Escherichia , Staphylococcus , and Vibrio genera .…”

“…That study demonstrated that that inefficient hygienic routine practices of cutting boards were responsible for harboring foodborne pathogenic organisms belonging to Campylobacter , Clostridium , Escherichia , Staphylococcus , and Vibrio genera . Moreover, other pathogen species such as Klebsiella pneumoniae , Enterobacter cloacae , and Vibrio vulnificus , known for causing nosocomial infections, were also found repeatedly on these same cutting boards [ 5 ].…”