Hygienic Evaluation of two Food Service Centres in a University Campus in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria

Twenty samples each of cooked foods, hand and nasal swabs, table surfaces and water used for activities in two restaurants were collected over a period of three months and analysed. The analyses included total mesophilic and coliform counts. The results obtained showed that theaverage mesophilic count for the foods was in the range of 3.0 x 109 – 3.5 x 1010 cfu/g with the highest count of 3.3 x 1010 cfu/g. Coliform counts for the water was in the range of 38 MPN/100ml. The hands had a coliform counts average of 27 cfu/ml. The isolate were respectively identified toinclude Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp. The hygiene status of these food centres should be of concern to the authorities in view of the large size of students and others that patronize these eateries