Faculty of Health Sciences
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Item Food hygiene in the National Schools Nutrition Programme among primary schools in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa(2023-10) Madlala, Sithembile Sindisiwe; Reddy, Poovendhree; Mchunu, Nokuthula; Dalasile, MonicaBackground: The National School Nutrition Programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education in schools located in low-socio-economic communities. Municipal Health Services is legally mandated to monitor compliance of all food premises, including school kitchens to Regulation 638 of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, (No. 54 of 1972). Food can become contaminated at any stage during processing, handling, and preparations, leading to foodborne outbreaks. Contamination of food is commonly facilitated through food contact surfaces and the hands of food handlers. Aim: The study aimed to assess the compliance of the food preparation and storage areas of schools to R638 of the Act and to identify the presence of food pathogens on food contact surfaces and hands of food handlers. Methods: Thirty-three primary schools offering NSNP meals were randomly selected in Bhekuzulu CMC, in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in which a checklist was used to assess the compliance of 33 school food preparation and storage areas to the standard requirements of R638 of the Act. IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0 was used to analyse the checklist. Thirty swabs were aseptically collected from various food contact surfaces and metagenomic analysis was used to assess the prevalent bacteria genera on food contact surfaces. Results: The checklist revealed poor pest and vector control, inadequate provision of sanitary and hand washing facilities for food handlers, lack of training of food safety principles of the food handlers, and poor waste management. Pseudomonas (25-84%), Stenotrophomonas (0.9- 15%), Acinetobacter (0.9-16%), Rahnella (2-3%) and Pantoea (1-12%) were the most dominant genera on food contact surfaces. Discussion/Conclusion: The school food preparation and storage areas had structural shortfalls that required prioritisation to ensure school meals are prepared and stored in a safe and hygienic manner. School C had the most diverse bacterial community and abundance of bacterial species. Metagenomic analysis revealed a truer account of the bacteria genera prevalent in NSNP food contact surfaces, therefore introducing other potential sources of food contaminationItem A desktop evaluation of the potential impact of nanotechnology applications in the field of environmental health in a developing country(Science and Education Publishing, 2015) Naidoo, Levani; Kistnasamy, Emilie JoyNanotechnology is the latest addition to enhancing lifestyles of the human population. It also has an impact on the core parts that are vital to the well-being of humanity and its’ sustainability. Nanotechnology has been researched and is implemented in a number of countries at a commercialized level. However, in South Africa, nanotechnology is still being explored at grassroots with a few private industries implementing it. Based on research, the public health sector is expected to benefit the most from the application of nanotechnology. An environmental health practitioner plays a key role in ensuring the health and sustainability of the human population. The purpose of this desktop study is to generally explore the uses of nanotechnology in the Public Health sector with specificity to food, health and water remediation in the context of environmental health in South Africa and evaluate the possible impacts nanotechnology will have in the South African society. Proposed recommendations to be considered on how to address the use of nanotechnology in the current state of South Africa are made along with identifying the gaps in research in nanotechnology pertaining to South Africa.