FoodSimplex - a public health tool to improve restaurants cleaning and sanitation status
- 1 Universitat de València, España
- 2 Coimbra Health School, Portugal
ISSN: 0212-7113
Year of publication: 2019
Volume: 36
Issue: 2
Pages: 111-115
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista de toxicología
Abstract
Foodborne diseases have a negative impact on health, and little consideration has been given to such because the symptoms are often moderate and self-limiting. The microbiological contamination of meals by catering systems is one of the main issues, and it must be assessed to ensure safer meals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hygienic quality in portuguese micro, small and medium restaurants through audit data and microbial sampling through the application of new food safety methodology – FoodSimplex. This four-year longitudinal study revealed maintenance or an improvement in the compliance with hygiene requirements according to the FoodSimplex checklist, and with statistical significance evolution in food handlers hands microbial analyses (p=0,003), which confirms that FoodSimplex contributed for a general food safety status uplift.