MICROBIOLOGY PATHOGENS SURVELAINCE: TRADITIONAL MARKET FOOD SAFETY MONITORING

THIS SURVEILLANCE FRAMEWORK PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING FOOD SAFETY AND ASSESSING THE RISK OF FOODBORNE ILLNESSES IN TRADITIONAL RETAIL SEAFOOD ENVIRONMENTS. IT FOCUSES ON CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS, INCLUDING SANITATION, HYGIENE, FACILITY STANDARDS FOR WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT, AND THE OVERALL CLEANLINESS OF VENDING AREAS. CENTRAL TO THE SURVEILLANCE IS THE EVALUATION OF HANDLING PRACTICES, SUCH AS COLD CHAIN MANAGEMENT, DISPLAY PROTOCOLS (E.G., THE USE OF ICE), AND THE PERSONAL HYGIENE OF VENDORS DURING PRODUCT PACKAGING.

BY COMPARING MICROBIAL DATA AGAINST SNI 01-2728.01-2006 STANDARDS AND UTILIZING A QUANTITATIVE SCORING SYSTEM BASED ON A 3-TIER LIKERT SCALE, THE FRAMEWORK IDENTIFIES SPECIFIC EXTERNAL RISK FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CONTAMINATION. THIS MONITORING APPROACH ESTABLISHES A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND BACTERIAL LOADS, OFFERING A DATA-DRIVEN PROTOCOL FOR IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES AND RETAIL SAFETY STANDARDS.