LITERATURE REVIEW
Over the years studies have shown that common illnesses resulting from foodborne diseases is as a result of lack of proper handling by consumers and this has become a growing problem in the world today. Internationally, foodborne diseases associated with microbial pathogens, biotoxins and chemical contaminants in food present a serious threat to the health of millions of individuals World health organisation. 2000. Food safety: resolutions of the executive board of WHO. Resolution EB105.R16 World health organisation, Geneva. World health organisation
A broad surveillance has been carried out by epidemiologists to determine the extent of foodborne diseases and food related illness in industrialised countries (50). Studies have been carried out and it has been estimated that 130 million Europeans (172), 2.1 million to 3.5 million great Britons from England and wales, 76 million Americans (112), and 4.7 million Australians(18) are affected by episodes of foodborne diseases and food related llnesses yearly. Although data cannot be compared directly because of the diverse surveillance systems put in place by various countries, it has been determined that Australia, the united kingdom and the united states appear to have similar incidences of foodborne diseases (39) and that individuals from these countries may also suffer from foodborne diseases at least once every 4 to 51/2 years (131).
It is rather difficult to determine frequency in occurrence of foodborne diseases as not alot of people report their cases when affected (103). This may be because not alot of them are fatal and can be associated with a number of other causes. There are also quite a number of fatal incidents (112) The majority (>95%) of cases of foodborne diseases are believed to be sporadic (63, 104) These cases as well as small outbreaks that originate in the home, generally involving of small number in homes are likely not reported and therefore cannot be identified by the health authorities(98, 176). Therefore, the actual proportion of foodborne outbreaks and individual cases originating in homes is most likely much larger than reported to be (179).
It has also been recorded that restaurants, cafeterias and bars are also sites for foodborne diseases although there is a higher incidence rate (three times more than that of restaurants and cafeterias) of foodborne disease in private homes(26). Over the past decade, up to 87% of reported foodborne diseases outbreaks in the united kingdom Europe Australia new Zealand the united states and Canada have been associated with food prepared or consumed in the home (see table 1 and figure 1). Salmonella which can be found in foods such as poultry eggs, unprocessed milk, meat and also water has been reported as the largest cause of foodborne diseases in the home (156). Sporadic cases or small outbreaks in homes account for the majority of food poisoning incidents recorded (176)
The importance of the home as a point of origin for foodborne diseases has urged surveys to evaluate aspects of bacterial contamination in domestic environments. The persistence of microorganisms , presence and density of pathogens, and the potential spread of microbial contaminants from contaminated food in the home has been reported (72). The risk of spreading infections in the home is highest in kitchen as Rusin et al. (142) found that the kitchen environment is more contaminated with fecal and total califorms than in the bathrooms. Microbial surveys of domestic kitchens have found that they are significantly contaminated with a variety of bacterial contaminants, including fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and Salmonella(93). Pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella have also been detected in both commercial and domestic kitchens after the food has been prepared (37, 45, 80, 138). Pathogenic and non pathogenic organisms are frequently brought into the home and hence the kitchen by the people living in them or those visiting, food consumed, water, pets, various insects and even through the air (25). Most often, the kitchen in homes is not used for cooking purposes only. Other departments of the home are integrated into the kitchen such as the laundry, storage area for detergents and the likes and also pets are left to roam free, making the transfer of these pathogenic and non pathogenic organisms (78). But if strategic hygiene practices are put in place and carried out this would reduce the risk of foods getting infected ((96).
For food to be considered as safe, all aspects of the food chain must be respected (72, 84, 171) i.e because all flesh is gotten from plants whether animals or plants, protective measures have to be put in place to prevent bacteria infestation in the plants as it may have adverse effects on the final consumer. The responsibility to ensure safety of food does not rest on only one stage (2).
All the information we need about domestic food handling practices come from two main sources: analyses of food poisoning outbreaks and research studies based on consumer feedback(78). All around the world, various consumer-based research studies have been carried out to determine the food safety practices of consumers. Different methods have been adapted including questionnaires and interview surveys. (journal). The accuracy and availability of data are limited because people rarely remember the exact food they consumed and the precise steps that were taken in handling the food before the illness was reported.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study is going to be carried in the united kingdom (London). Past studies, both published and unpublished will be extensively reviewed. The web will also be explored and most importantly, questionnaires passed around customers coming in and out of grocery stores and individuals in the business of constantly handling food.
