5th July 2006

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Many household fridges are hotbeds of potentially lethal food poisoning agents, according to research carried out by a University of Ulster student.

Valerie Jackson, who graduates with a PhD in Microbiology today, discovered that many fridges are operated above recommended temperature guidelines, allowing the slow but significant growth of contaminating pathogens (organisms that cause disease).

This, allied to limited knowledge in Irish homes about safe storage, handling and preparation practices, makes the domestic kitchen a significant potential source of food poisoning.

Valerie, who now works as a surveillance scientist with the HPSE – Health Protection Surveillance Centre in Dublin, said: “The results of my study highlight the need for householders on the island of Ireland to be educated about safe practices in relation to food purchase, storage, handling and preparation”.

The study, which was supervised by UU Professors David McDowell and Ian Blair, was funded by safefood – the Food Safety Promotion Board.

Around 3.2m cases of acute gastroenteritis are reported in Ireland annually. Although not always caused by food, food-borne gastroenteritis remains a substantial cause of illness and death.

Valerie’s study took in more than 1000 homes across Ireland and involved interviews with householders and microbiological and temperature investigations of household fridges.

Among the main findings were:

1. 42.5% of householders said they took more than 30 minutes – some more than three hours – to get shopping from the store to the fridge.
2. More than 75% said they did not know the correct temperature for refrigeration and less than 30% had thermometers for either fridge or freezer.
3. 45% reported storing meat incorrectly in fridges.
4. Although many said hands should be washed before meals, after using the toilet or after handling raw meat, few mentioned hand-washing after feeding/touching pets, after gardening, after work or after changing a nappy.
5. Nearly 24% did not adequately clean knives and almost 23% didn’t adequately clean chopping boards.
6. More than half of  the people surveyed defrosted meat at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
7. Swabs of fridges revealed more than 40% had the potential pathogen Staphylococcus aureus present. E. coli (6%) and Salmonella enterica (7%) were also found.
8. Around half of fridges were not kept cold enough, operating above the recommended 1-5 degrees C range.
9. Higher educated, professional people under the age of 25 were more likely to have a high incidence of pathogens in their fridges because they lacked food handling and preparation skills and because of increased consumption of convenience foods.

Valerie said: “The scientific information gained in this study will be used to inform and underpin the development of realistic advice and guidance for consumers, thereby improving food safety in the domestic environment and reducing the overall incidence of food-borne illness on the island of Ireland”.

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young