Campylobacter in ready-to-eat foods:: The result of a 15-month survey

Ready-to-eat foods at retail and catering establishments were randomly sampled at the point of sale for a period of 15 months. During this period, 4,469 food samples were examined for the presence of Campylobacter with the use of plate-based methodology. A range of different ready-to-eat food types, all of which have the potential to be contaminated with the organism, were examined. No viable Campylobacter cells were detected in any of the foods during the survey. There is no evidence that the foods examined in this study represent a risk to the consumer. Although these foods may be a vehicle for infection if cross-contamination occurs, other sources need to be investigated as causes of enteric infection caused by Campylobacter.