17/09/2010 - Health warning over cleaning cloth
More than half of the cleaning cloths used in restaurant and take-away kitchens contain high bacteria levels, leading to poor hygiene and the risk of cross-contamination, experts have warned.
The study by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) sampled 133 cloths, from 120 establishments in the north east of England, and found that 56% contained unacceptable levels of bacteria.
Findings, presented at the HPA's annual conference - Health Protection 2010 - at the University of Warwick, revealed that only a third (32%) of restaurants used disposable cloths that they changed regularly.
While the HPA recommends that cloths used in kitchens be changed or disinfected frequently to stop bacteria growth, 15% of the remaining two-thirds (68%) of the restaurants were unsure as to how often they replaced the re-usable cloths.
The study said that bacteria can spread from the cloths to the hands of catering staff, work surfaces, kitchen equipment and food, which can increase the risk of food poisoning.
The most common bacteria found were Enterobacteriaceae (found on 86 cloths), E. coli (21 cloths), Staphylococcus aureus (six cloths) and listeria (five cloths).
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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