Hazards and Critical Control Points of Vending Operations at a Railway Station and a Bus Station in Pakistan

Abstract

Hazard analyses (which included watching operations, measuring temperatures of foods throughout preparation and display, and sampling and testing for microorganisms of concern) were conducted of vending operations at a railway and a bus station in a large city in Pakistan. Commonly prepared foods which were surveyed included: rice, pulses, chick peas, ground meat and potato mixtures, meat stew, and okra. Temperatures were measured and samples were collected from a variety of other foods. Large numbers (104–7) of Clostridium perfringens were isolated from samples of pulses, ground meat dishes, and chick peas collected during display, 8 to 10 h after cooking. Aerobic colony counts were also high in these and other foods that were held for several hours, unless hot, at temperatures >55°C throughout the holding periods or periodic reheating practiced (which was done by a few vendors). Cooking was usually thorough, but spores survived which germinated during the display period. High temperature holding or periodic reheating maintained safe foods, and hence, are critical control points for these operations. Education about these matters ought to be directed at health and transportation authorities, vendors, and the public.