Food safety actions need to cover the entire food chain, from production to consumption. The implementation of food safety include safety between industry and the market and then between the market and the consumer. In considering industry to market practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the practices relating to food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticides residues, as well as policies for certification systems for foods.
Food industry regarding safety issue is one of the most unseen areas of policy in developing countries, especially in Pakistan. As a result, food systems in these countries are not always as well controlled and comprehensive as in the mechanized world. This situation is exacerbated by an ever increasing population, rapid urbanization and, most importantly, a lack of the economic and practical resources needed to hold a sound food safety system. As a result, people in developing countries are continuously facing a wide range of potential food safety risks.
Food borne illness is a disease caused by consuming contaminated food or drink.There are more than 250 known food borne diseases. Food can transmit disease from individual to individual as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Today, people try to save as much time as possible due to the requisite to cope with many tasks within restricted time. In many cases people who have busy schedule don’t have enough time to cook food therefore prefer to eat fast food like burger, shawarma, fries etc. from fast food centers.
The present research was undertaken to investigate the microbial load of the chicken burger samples (n=96) collected aseptically from different regions of Lahore. Samples were collected in sterile plastic bags and analyzed for microbial load immediately after collection in Microbiology lab of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
Nutrient agar was used to perform Total Plate Count, Mackonkey Agar was used for total coliform count, Manitol salt agar was used to count Staphylococcus Aureus and SalmonellaShigella agar was used to detect Salmonella.
The findings of the current study showed that samples taken multinational restaurant have less contamination than from local fast food centers. While among local fast food centers Liberty, Fortress, Anarkali and Akbarimandi have lesser microbial count than samples collected from Ichra, moon market, Mori gate. The difference in microbial load is due to improper food handling, processing, cooking and storage temperature, time and manufacturing practices of the food handlers.
After conducting my research I concluded that following points should be strongly observed and maintained to improve the quality of chicken burger in local fast food centers
• Ensuring regular inspection and periodical check on these food centers
• Continuous lab test and analytical lab analysis to check the unwanted presence of any new harmful agents in these foods to ensure food safety for consumer.