Young children (6-72 months of age) frequently engage in hand-to-mouth activity, making them most vulnerable to the effects of unsanitized dining facilities. However, sanitization of trays and rails of highchairs and booster chairs is not regulated due to lack of direct food contact. This research project was designed to detect and identify microorganisms present on the surfaces of dining furniture used by young children. Twenty seven restaurants were selected from two Indiana counties. A total of 254 swab samples and 28 field blanks were collected. Fifty five percent of all samples collected contained of food poisoning causing bacteria (FP). The top four sites of FP recovery were highchair seats (78.0 %), highchair trays (72.7%), booster chair seats (63.5%), and highchair rails (58.0%). These frequencies were all statistically significant higher than FP recovered from serving trays which are required to meet the same sanitizing standard as the tableware by the Food Code. In conclusion, parents and health educators should recognize the potential health risk encountered when placing food directly on highchair trays that are not thoroughly sanitized before each use.
Learning Objectives: parents and health educators should recognize the potential health risk encountered when placing food directly on highchair trays that are not thoroughly sanitized before each use.
Keywords: Child Health Promotion, Foundations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.