A new study from Thailand focuses on food safety regarding items purchased online. The study was published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease this month and focused on sandwiches purchased via the internet in July 2010.
A total of 886 people who bought the sandwiches completed a structured questionnaire. Specimens were collected for an epidemiological investigation. Of those 886 people, 36.6% became ill about 18 hours after eating the sandwiches, with diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and vomiting.
Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Virchow, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and entertotoxigenic E. coli were isolated from the contaminated sandwiches. Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Virchow were found in patient samples, and Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from food handlers who prepared the sandwiches. PFGE found a common origin of Salmonella from patients, the food, and a food handler.
This outbreak highlights the importance of good hygiene practices during food preparation, and how critical temperature control is during food shipment. Online food shopping purchased are particularly problematic because completely purchased food can be shipped over long distances. Make sure you buy only from reputable sources, if you choose to purchase prepared food in this manner. Also make sure that food is shipped in insulated cases with proper frozen ice packs to keep the food at a safe temperature: below 40 degrees F.
