checks at hospital canteens, 7 kitchens closed with excrement and cockroaches

Il Carabinieri command for the protection of healthin agreement with the Ministry of Health, carried out checks at national level in the canteens inside hospital and health facilities, to verify the hygienic and structural conditions as well as the implementation of food safety procedures and compliance with contractual obligations of the assignee companies.
The checks involved 992 cooking and meal preparation points located within the same number of health facilities, both public and private: 340 of these highlighted irregularities, equal to 34%, with the ascertainment of 431 criminal and administrative infractions, for a total 230 thousand euros in pecuniary sanctions, contested due to violations in food management, in the lack of compliance in quality and quantity with the pre-established requirements of the tender specifications and in the use of environments lacking adequate cleanliness and functionality.
During the checks, numerous surface swabs and samples were also performed to search for pathogens and contaminants on the areas of greatest risk, such as work surfaces, trays and water used for the preparation of meals.
Following the laboratory analyses, 5 positive results were identified for the presence of bacterial loads exceeding the permitted limits. Among these, 4 are related to the presence of coliform bacteria in the water used for the preparation of meals, identified by the NAS of Palermo at a catering company in Agrigento, for which the suspension of the activity and the sanitization of the tanks used for water storage was ordered.
Another case of non-compliance was ascertained by NAS in Parma in the kitchen area of ​​a clinic, in which a cutting board for processing meat was found to be contaminated by a bacterial load exceeding the legal limits.
In the same context, the suspension of the activity or the seizure of 7 kitchen outlets, operating within the hospital canteens and healthcare facilities, were ordered due to the significant hygienic-sanitary and structural deficiencies, such as the widespread presence of humidity, the mold formations and the infestation of insects and rodent excrement. In particular, the Milan core it closed the canteens of a geriatric institute and a hospital in that capital because they were invaded by insects and cockroaches in the food preparation/dishwashing rooms, in the warehouse and in the cold rooms. A similar reason led to the closure of the canteen of an accredited nursing home in Naples.
Even the NAS in Ragusa suspended the activity of the kitchen of a hospital where the presence of rodents and their droppings was ascertained.
More than 400 kg of foodstuffs found without traceability, expired validity and kept in inappropriate environments as well as intended for use in dishes although of lower quality than expected, were also seized.
Particular situations concerned the referral to the GA of 9 canteen service managers held responsible for crimes of fraud and non-compliance with public supplies, possession of food in a poor state of conservation and non-compliance with workplace safety legislation.
The majority of the infringements concerned aspects of administrative sanctions such as structural and plant deficiencies in the premises used for preparing meals, failure to implement self-monitoring and traceability, fundamental elements for preventing possible episodes of intoxication, even more significant in sensitive groups of patients inpatients.
Here are some of the most significant interventions:
Nas PalermoMarch 2023
Non-regulatory results 4 water samples taken, during inspections, from different points of the internal water network of the production plant of a catering company in the province of Agrigento, awarded the contract for the preparation and distribution of meals intended for 5 hospitals in the area. In fact, the outcome of the tests revealed the “non-compliance of the microbiological parameter of the coliform bacteria correlated to the values ​​of the residual chlorine below the recommended limit” and the closure of the business (worth 200,000 euros) was ordered as well as the sanitization of the tanks in order to restore their health conditions. The owner has been reported to the competent Judicial Authority.
Following a further check carried out, in the province of Palermo, at the canteen of a nursing home affiliated with the NHS, it was found that the cheese distributed for the patients’ meals was of a different and less valuable type, as well as weighing less to the agreed one.
Nas MilanMarch 2023
During the inspections carried out in the canteens of a geriatric institute and a hospital, located in the province of Milan, the presence of insect infestations in the rooms used for food preparation/dishwashing was ascertained as a common factor , in the warehouse area and in cold rooms. Ordered the immediate closure of the activity of both kitchens and, at the hospital, disposed of 100 kg of food in a poor state of conservation, since it was in direct contact with pests. High penalties for the owners of the two catering companies managing the canteens, for a total amount of 6,000 euros.
in ParmaMarch 2023
During an inspection in the kitchen of a nursing home in Parma, the result of a swab performed on a clean cutting board used for processing meat, in which the presence of a bacterial load was found to be unregulated higher than allowed.
in RagusaMarch 2023
The closure of the kitchen rooms used for sorting meals for the patients of a hospital in the province of Syracuse was ordered, where serious hygienic-sanitary deficiencies were ascertained attributable to the presence of deceased rats and their droppings, widespread dirt, piles of waste material , waste deriving from renovation works of other premises, disused material, etc. The value of the closed structure corresponds to 250,000 euros.
Nas NapoliMarch 2023
The administration activity of an accredited private clinic in Naples has been suspended since it was carried out in the absence of the hygienic requirements established by sector legislation. The check was extended to the vehicle used for transporting food, whose compartment for the temporary storage of meals was soiled, invaded by previous dirt that had not been removed and taken root by widespread mold and rust. Seized 30 complete meals intended for patients.
Similarly, a sanitary block has been placed on food handling and preparation of ready-to-eat meals, carried out in two private nursing homes in the same province, since they are carried out in environments with very poor hygienic, sanitary and structural conditions, due to the presence of dirt widespread mold and rust on equipment. A total of 300 kg of food and gastronomy preparations without traceability and prepared in the aforementioned environments were seized.
The value of the premises subjected to a sanitary block corresponds to 500,000 euros and that of the restricted foods to 3,000 euros. Disputed violations for a total of 7,500 euros. The activity of supplying food and drink in the canteen of an accredited nursing home in the province of Naples was also suspended, as it was carried out in environments with poor sanitary conditions and infested with cockroaches.
in BresciaMarch 2023
The canteen of a hospital in the province of Bergamo was inspected, where the presence of foods, among those used to prepare the day’s meal, which were no longer suitable for consumption and fresh pasta that had expired was found. The products have been disposed of. Fines of 2,000 euros were notified to the legal representative of the company.
nas cataniaMarch 2023
During the hygienic-sanitary inspection carried out in the premises used as a kitchen laboratory of an accredited private nursing home in the province of Catania, the failure to implement the prescribed HACCP food self-control procedures was found as no microbiological analyzes were carried out magazines of foods and work surfaces. The owner of the restaurant business has been reported to the Administrative Authority for the relevant provisions.
Nas BariMarch 2023
Inspection activity was carried out at the meal sorting center of a clinic in Bari, where serious hygienic-sanitary and structural deficiencies were found. During the activity it was ascertained that a room, formally intended for the storage of food, had been illegally used as a deposit of
medicines and medical devices.
Us LivornoMarch 2023
The owner of the company entrusted with the catering service for patients and employees of the Livorno hospital was deferred in a state of freedom, for having supplied PDO branded food of lower quality than that provided for in the contract. 35 kg of cheese seized, divided into packs of grated product of different weights, for a total value of 3,000 euros.