A veterinary public health expert, Professor Victoria Adetunji has said steel and glass surfaces were more appropriate surfaces for processing food than wood surfaces to reduce the amount of microbial that are possibly transferred from such surfaces to food.
According to her, the contamination level during processing of food of animal origin is more from wood surfaces because more disease-causing bacteria easily builds up on wood surfaces, with implications for food safety and virulence.
Professor Adetunji in the 577th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan, entitled “The Three Adversaries: The Voyage of a Public Health Veterinarian” said bacterial aggregation or biofilm form more also on cement surfaces than on glass surfaces, more on static than dynamic surfaces and at room than at refrigeration temperature.
She declared that contamination in meat, fish, and dairy processing by germs is of concern and poses significant challenges to food safety and public health, particularly in Nigeria with a rapidly growing population and a thriving meat and dairy industry.
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“Proper sanitary procedures to remove biofilms or prevent their formation will ameliorate bacterial contamination from food contact surfaces. The need for proper sanitation is particularly important in developing countries where unsuitable surfaces like wood are used for food processing in a poor sanitary environment,” she said.
The don said there is a need to promote one health approach in research across all faculties and sectors; stringent regulations on veterinary medicines in food animals to prevent toxic antibiotic residues in commercially produced animal products, advocacy for rational drug use and reduction in zoonotic transmission of multidrug resistant bacteria.
“Alternative irrational drug use remains a significant challenge; continuous education and training offer the most promising approach to enhancing drug use practices.
“Notably, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research to date has failed to consider the complex socio-cultural behaviours and roles that can hinder implementation research outcomes in terms of uptake, acceptability and sustainability. Gender and equity lens can improve the implementation of context-specific AMR interventions.
“On the AMR effort, Nigeria needs to develop sustainability plans to ensure continued engagements, interventions and research efforts directed towards containment when the international support dwindles,” she added.
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