The state of food safety and hygiene in bottled water production facilities in the five provinces of the Central Highlands region in 2023

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from March 2023 to December 2023 to assess the implementation of food safety regulations in bottled water production facilities across the five provinces of the Central Highlands region (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong) in 2023. The study evaluated food safety conditions, practices of direct production personnel, and collected bottled water samples for testing five bacterial indicators according to QCVN 6-1:2010/BYT. The results showed that the majority of facilities did not meet the criteria of physical infrastructure conditions at 74.7% (56/75), equipment and utensil conditions at 74.7% (56/75), conditions of direct production personnel at 44.0% (33/75), personal hygiene practices at 65.3% (49/75), and bottle cleaning practices at 72% (54/75). The rate of microbial contamination in bottled water products was 70.7% (53/75), of which the main contamination was Pseudomonas aeruginosa 45.3% (34/75), total Coliforms 42.7% (32/75), Clostridia 6.7% (5/75) and Streptococci feacal 2.0% (2/75). Some factors related to bacterial contamination in bottled water products are the condition of facilities, practicing personal hygiene, and practicing bottle hygiene.