MRSA Notes

There was a study done in Ireland recently on the bacteria lurking in our refrigerators with some interesting results. Valerie Jackson, who holds a PhD in Microbiology and is a surveillance scientist with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in Dublin discovered that our fridges are an important source of disease causing organisms. Dr. Jackson spoke with and tested the refrigerators of over 1000 families in Ireland and here are her main findings:

1. 42.5% of householders said they took more than 30 minutes – some more than three hours – to get shopping from the store to the fridge.
2. More than 75% said they did not know the correct temperature for refrigeration and less than 30% had thermometers for either fridge or freezer.
3. 45% reported storing meat incorrectly in fridges.
4. Although many said hands should be washed before meals, after using the toilet or after handling raw meat, few mentioned hand-washing after feeding/touching pets, after gardening, after work or after changing a nappy.
5. Nearly 24% did not adequately clean knives and almost 23% didn’t adequately clean chopping boards.
6. More than half of the people surveyed defrosted meat at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
7. Swabs of fridges revealed more than 40% had the potential pathogen Staphylococcus aureus present. E. coli (6%) and Salmonella enterica (7%) were also found.
8. Around half of fridges were not kept cold enough, operating above the recommended 1-5 degrees C range.
9. Higher educated, professional people under the age of 25 were more likely to have a high incidence of pathogens in their fridges because they lacked food handling and preparation skills and because of increased consumption of convenience foods.

Valerie said: “The scientific information gained in this study will be used to inform and underpin the development of realistic advice and guidance for consumers, thereby improving food safety in the domestic environment and reducing the overall incidence of food-borne illness on the island of Ireland”.

Do I need to say, “Be sure and remember this study and apply it to your own refrigerator and food handling?” I didn’t think so.

Source

Awareness, food handling, refrigerators, Research and Development, safety, staph, staphylococcus, Wellness

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