Contamination by Bacillus cereus on equipment and utensil surfaces in a food and nutrition service unit

The confirmation that Bacillus cereus is a microorganism that represents a special problem in food processing plants, such as university cafeterias, inspired this work, the scope of which was to evaluate the risks consumers are exposed to by identifying the contamination points from whence the microorganism can be transferred on to food. The presence of B. cereus was detected in 38.3% of the equipment and utensils studied. Counts of up to 5.7x10 2 CFU/cm2 were found, with the highest values being found in samples from distribution sectors, indicating the importance of these areas as potential sources of microorganism transmission on to food.