Analysis of microbial contamination of student meals in Yuexiu District of Guangzhou City from 2017 to 2023

ObjectiveTo investigate the microbial contamination of student meals in Yuexiu District of Guangzhou City over seven consecutive years， and to provide a reference for regulatory authorities.MethodsTotally 296 student meal samples were collected from 2017 to 2023 in Yuexiu District of Guangzhou City. The microbial contamination of the samples， including the total numbers of colony，Escherichia coli， Staphylococcus aureus，Vibrio parahaemolyticus，Salmonella，Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes were detected. The results of the monitored samples were evaluated in accordance with Guangdong Provincial Food Safety Local Standard： Microbiological Limits for Non-prepackaged Ready-to-eat Foods （DB 44/006—2016）.ResultThe total unqualified rate was 26.35% （78/296）， the unqualified rate decreased by 57.50%， 45.24%， 43.86%， 16.67%， 5.00%， 6.38%， and 2.50% from 2017 to 2023 （χ2=68.947， P0.01）. The results showed that the unqualified rate decreased yearly （χ2=68.947， P0.01）， indicating that the regulatory measures were effective.In the past 7 years， none of the food-borne pathogenic bacteria in the monitored samples exceeded the standard，and all the unqualified items were sanitary indicator bacteria，among which the total number of colonies exceeded the standard， which further suggested the necessity of improving sanitary conditions.Spearman rank correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the sample center temperature and the total number of colonies （r=-0.224， P0.01）， but no significant correlation with Escherichia coli （r=-0.145， P0.05）.ConclusionThe overall trend of microbial contamination in student meals in Yuexiu District， Guangzhou is moving towards improvement. All departments should further strengthen the monitoring and supervision of student meal food to consolidate the previous achievements and prevent the occurrence of campus foodborne diseases.