Microbiological food safety of ready-to-eat food in hospitals and universities’ canteens in Hanoi, Vietnam

Food safety is a major concern for Vietnamese community nowadays because It causes financial losses and health problems in thousands of people annually. Among different safety issues, microbial safety plays a very important part. It is known that meals prepared in large kitchens are one of the major causes of food poisoning. Therefore, this project will focus on university and hospital canteens, where besides healthy people, many people with high risk profiles such as immunocompromised and pregnant persons, have their meals. The focus will be on documenting the microbial safety level of the food as well as the hygiene in the kitchen and serving environment in different canteens in Hanoi, Vietnam. Furthermore, a handbook and a website about good hygiene practices for canteen personnel and environment will be developed and applied. The results of the project will help to raise consumers’ and food producers’ awareness and directly improve their hygiene practice. It will also help to improve research expertise of our laboratory in the field of food microbiology.