Hospital Food Safety Measures Help Reduce Risks of Contaminated Hospital Meals

A recent study shows that more than 80 percent of raw chicken that's used in hospitals in food for patients and staff may be contaminated with a form of antibiotic resistant bacteria known as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli. As sufficient preparation goes into the creation and delivery of most foods before they enter the hospital, poultry meat that's delivered to medical facilities still holds the potential entry for dangerous bacteria into the hospital.

"While a high proportion of chicken contaminated by antibiotic resistant E.coli is a significant concern, robust food safety measures taken by hospital kitchen staff are able to prevent the spread of these pathogens and minimize risk to food handlers, staff and patients," said Andrew Stewardson, MD, the lead author of the study, via a press release. 

For the study, researchers from the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland worked with the Food Control Authority of Geneva to test raw chicken that was delivered to the central hospital kitchen that prepares over 8,000 meals a day. Hospital food samples in the local market were tested for the presence of ESBLs. Researchers discovered that 86 percent of the chicken samples tested positive for E. coli, a normal path of healthy human gut flora. However, the bacteria can cause urinary tract infections and occasionally more serious intestinal issues.

Researchers also studied how food impacts the health of the food handlers, along with that of the healthcare workers and the patients. Results showed that six of 93 food handlers were ESBL carriers. However, they were no more likely to be colonized by this bacteria than the Swiss population, according to background information from the study.

While the management strategies for food in hospital kitchens appear to be sufficient at this time among all three of the involved parties, researchers caution that this conclusion may not apply to household kitchens where food safety is not as strictly monitored.

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More information regarding the study can be found in the April issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.