Repeated cross-sectional study identifies differing risk factors associated with microbial contamination in common food products in the United Kingdom

Janecko, Nicol, Zamudio, Roxana, Palau, Raphaëlle, Bloomfield, Samuel J. and Mather, Alison E. (2023) Repeated cross-sectional study identifies differing risk factors associated with microbial contamination in common food products in the United Kingdom. Food Microbiology, 111. ISSN 0740-0020

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Abstract

All foods carry microbes, many of which are harmless, but foods can also carry pathogens and/or microbial indicators of contamination. Limited information exists on the co-occurrence of microbes of food safety concern and the factors associated with their presence. Here, a population-based repeated cross-sectional design was used to determine the prevalence and co-occurrence of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp. and Vibrio spp. in key food commodities - chicken, pork, prawns, salmon and leafy greens. Prevalence in 1369 food samples for these four target bacterial genera/species varied, while 25.6% of all samples had at least two of the target bacteria and eight different combinations of bacteria were observed as co-occurrence profiles in raw prawns. Imported frozen chicken was 6.4 times more likely to contain Salmonella than domestic chicken, and imported salmon was 5.5 times more likely to be contaminated with E. coli. Seasonality was significantly associated with E. coli and Klebsiella spp. contamination in leafy greens, with higher detection in summer and autumn. Moreover, the odds of Klebsiella spp. contamination were higher in summer in chicken and pork samples. These results provide insight on the bacterial species present on foods at retail, and identify factors associated with the presence of individual bacteria, which are highly relevant for food safety risk assessments and the design of surveillance programmes.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Funding information: This project was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Strategic Programme Microbes in the Food Chain [BB/R012504/1] and its constituent project Theme 1, Epidemiology and Evolution of Pathogens in the Food Chain [BBS/E/F/000PR10348] and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through an FSA Fellowship [FS101185] to AEM. Aspects of the original food survey design were modified following discussion with the FSA, but with this exception the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Metabolic Health
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2022 04:03
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2024 15:22
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/90131
DOI:	10.1016/j.fm.2022.104196

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