The Correlation between Eating Utensils and Place of Sales in the Contamination of Escherichia coli in Food Sold at Campus Food Stalls
Abstract: Up to now, in
general, the safety of food that is sold at any canteens in the campuses, the
eating utensils are handled and the food stalls are managed are still
uncertain. This research was aimed to understand the correlation between the
eating utensils handling and the contamination of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in
the food sold by the food vendors in the campus. The cross-sectional design
research applied on the food stalls in the university campus in Depok with a
total number of 173 consumers as respondents. The variables observed as
independent variables were the sanitation of the eating utensils and the sanitation
of the dining place. The examination method of the Most Probable Number (MPN)
for E. coli was conducted to assess the food’s hygiene. The data analyzed using
the chi-square test and followed by the logistic regression. The result showed
that more than half of the food samples (59.54%) were contaminated by E. coli.
The storage place of the eating utensils was most significantly correlated with
the E. coli contamination of the served food with an OR=0.45 (0.21-0.87).
Therefore, it is necessary to promote the awareness of this risk and reinforce
supervision by the Health Authorities and by the management of the place of
sales to provide guidance to the food vendors and to the consumers as well.
Further research is recommended to observe the E. coli contamination through
clean water, eating utensils, the hands of the consumers and the napkins used
to wipe dry the eating utensils.
Keywords: contamination; E.
coli; utensils; food stalls; food serving; canteen
Penulis: Dewi Susanna, Tris
Eryando, Aria Kusuma, Dian Pratiwi
Kode Jurnal: jpkedokterangg150373
