Food delivery services have contributed to the food security of its patrons by making ready-to-eat food more accessible. However, sanitary conditions under which food is delivered can threaten this security. This study evaluated the delivery boxes' microbial contamination as an index of hygiene compliance of the delivery personnel. Swaps were taken from the delivery boxes of twenty (20) conveniently sampled food delivery personnel at the beginning and the end of the week. The microbial contamination of the boxes was determined using standard methods. The cleanliness of the boxes was qualitatively evaluated with the aid of an observation guide. The mean ranges of total aerobic count (5.61 – 6.03 LogCFU/cm2), coliforms (5.23 – 6.33 LogCFU/cm2), Escherichia coli (3.00 – 3.60 LogCFU/cm2) and Staphylococcus aureus (3.00 – 3.554 LogCFU/cm2) counts were higher than the acceptable safe limits. The microbial loads were lower at the beginning of the week than at the end of the week; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The microbes identified were indicative of human and faecal contamination and poor hygiene by the personnel. The delivery boxes sampled are unsanitary for food transportation, therefore, training and regulatory enforcement are vital to improve hygienic compliance of the food delivery personnel and to ensure consumer protection.
| Published in | International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 13, Issue 5) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18 |
| Page(s) | 227-238 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Delivery Box, Food Delivery, Food Hygiene, Microbial Contamination
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APA Style
Adi, D. D. (2024). Assessment of the Microbial Contamination of Delivery Boxes of Food Delivery Personnel in Accra. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 13(5), 227-238. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18
ACS Style
Adi, D. D. Assessment of the Microbial Contamination of Delivery Boxes of Food Delivery Personnel in Accra. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2024, 13(5), 227-238. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18,
author = {Doreen Dedo Adi},
title = {Assessment of the Microbial Contamination of Delivery Boxes of Food Delivery Personnel in Accra
},
journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
volume = {13},
number = {5},
pages = {227-238},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20241305.18},
abstract = {Food delivery services have contributed to the food security of its patrons by making ready-to-eat food more accessible. However, sanitary conditions under which food is delivered can threaten this security. This study evaluated the delivery boxes' microbial contamination as an index of hygiene compliance of the delivery personnel. Swaps were taken from the delivery boxes of twenty (20) conveniently sampled food delivery personnel at the beginning and the end of the week. The microbial contamination of the boxes was determined using standard methods. The cleanliness of the boxes was qualitatively evaluated with the aid of an observation guide. The mean ranges of total aerobic count (5.61 – 6.03 LogCFU/cm2), coliforms (5.23 – 6.33 LogCFU/cm2), Escherichia coli (3.00 – 3.60 LogCFU/cm2) and Staphylococcus aureus (3.00 – 3.554 LogCFU/cm2) counts were higher than the acceptable safe limits. The microbial loads were lower at the beginning of the week than at the end of the week; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The microbes identified were indicative of human and faecal contamination and poor hygiene by the personnel. The delivery boxes sampled are unsanitary for food transportation, therefore, training and regulatory enforcement are vital to improve hygienic compliance of the food delivery personnel and to ensure consumer protection.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of the Microbial Contamination of Delivery Boxes of Food Delivery Personnel in Accra AU - Doreen Dedo Adi Y1 - 2024/10/31 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18 DO - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18 T2 - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JF - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JO - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences SP - 227 EP - 238 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2327-2716 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20241305.18 AB - Food delivery services have contributed to the food security of its patrons by making ready-to-eat food more accessible. However, sanitary conditions under which food is delivered can threaten this security. This study evaluated the delivery boxes' microbial contamination as an index of hygiene compliance of the delivery personnel. Swaps were taken from the delivery boxes of twenty (20) conveniently sampled food delivery personnel at the beginning and the end of the week. The microbial contamination of the boxes was determined using standard methods. The cleanliness of the boxes was qualitatively evaluated with the aid of an observation guide. The mean ranges of total aerobic count (5.61 – 6.03 LogCFU/cm2), coliforms (5.23 – 6.33 LogCFU/cm2), Escherichia coli (3.00 – 3.60 LogCFU/cm2) and Staphylococcus aureus (3.00 – 3.554 LogCFU/cm2) counts were higher than the acceptable safe limits. The microbial loads were lower at the beginning of the week than at the end of the week; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The microbes identified were indicative of human and faecal contamination and poor hygiene by the personnel. The delivery boxes sampled are unsanitary for food transportation, therefore, training and regulatory enforcement are vital to improve hygienic compliance of the food delivery personnel and to ensure consumer protection. VL - 13 IS - 5 ER -
Department of Hospitality and Tourism Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana
