Introduction:

Infants and children are more vulnerable to foodborne illnesses than other demographic population. In recent years, foodborne outbreaks have been reported in kindergartens because of the presence of pathogenic agents like Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Cronobacter sakazakii.

Objective:

To determine the microbiological quality of foods ready for consumption in kindergarten foodservices regarding food safety and process hygiene criteria.

Materials and Methods:

241 food samples from the initiation menu and full menu were analyzed in 13 kindergartens. Salmonella spp. and Cronobacter spp. were investigated and an enumeration of L. monocytogenes and of the hygiene indicator microorganisms (mesophilic aerobes, enterobacteriaceae, β-glucuronidase positive Escherichia coli, total coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus) was carried out.

Results:

No Salmonella spp. or L. monocytogenes were isolated from any of the samples. Cronobacter spp. was isolated in the fresh salad of a second plate. E. coli was not detected in any sample and the results shown in the rest of the hygiene indicators were the following: mesophilic aerobes 36,10 %, enterobacteriaceae 13,28 %, total coliforms 7,47 % and S. aureus 4,14 %. The fruits group was always the one that showed the highest prevalence in all the parameters, followed by the second courses mainly due to the presence of fresh salads.

Conclusions:

According to the microbiological results obtained, it is considered that the meals served have a high level of microbiological quality.