Deli meats a worry in Adelaide, study shows

AT THE top of your list? Deli meats. 134 out of 174 samples of supermarket deli meats had “out-of-control” bacterial levels that failed to meet food standards guidelines.

Don smallgoods. Deli food. Cold meats. Salami.

ADELAIDE carnivores beware: a new study shows hygienic food handling is not practised at many of the city's supermarket delicatessens.

The study found 134 out of 174 samples of various ready-to-eat deli meats bought at randomly selected supermarkets had bacterial levels that failed to meet food standards guidelines.

The results of the research, carried out last year by students at Adelaide University, will be presented this week at a Perth conference.

“Although no recognised food poisoning pathogens such as Escherichia coli or Salmonella species were found on these meats, the high bacterial count suggests that hygiene has been compromised,” said the university's Professor Michael Reichel.

“Such out-of-control processes are also susceptible to contamination with serious food poisoning organisms.”

Sliced salami, fritz and roast pork showed the highest proportions of unsatisfactory bacterial counts.

Ham and chicken meats had lower levels of bacteria, but two-thirds of those samples still failed to meet satisfactory standards.

Consumers have become wary of deli meats.

He said 15.5 per cent of samples showed the presence of coliform bacteria, indicating poor hygiene such as people not washing their hands after going to the toilet.

As well as revealing food safety issues, the results related to food quality.

“People have a right to expect that the product they buy on the weekend should last through the following week, not go slimy in a couple of days,” he said.

He called on supermarkets and retailers to review their processes and staff compliance, as well as carry out more microbiological testing.