Food hygiene in the National Schools Nutrition Programme among primary schools in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Background: 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 contamination