Investigation and Analysis of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Contamination in Food in Yantai City, China: Based on a 14-Year Continuous Monitoring

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is a foodborne zoonotic pathogen that threatens food safety and public health. However, few people have conducted long-term and systematic studies on <i>S. aureus</i> contamination in food in Yantai City. To investigate the contamination situation of <i>S. aureus</i> in food and improve the ability of early warning and control of foodborne diseases, a total of 2384 samples from 17 categories were collected from 13 monitoring points in Yantai City, from 2010 to 2023. Forty-four samples were positively detected for <i>S. aureus</i>, with a detection rate of 1.85% (44/2384). The detection rate of <i>S. aureus</i> was highest in Zhifu District (4.12%), followed by Penglai District (2.45%), Zhaoyuan District (2.37%), Kaifa District (2.19%), and Longkou District (1.98%). Positive detection rates were higher in frozen rice and flour products at 8.82% (6/68), quick-frozen dishes at 5.56% (1/18), aquatic products at 4.05% (3/74), and meat and meat products at 3.55% (27/760). Positive detection rates in samples from the first, second, third, and fourth quarters were 0% (0/44), 2.21% (20/906), 2.13% (22/1033), and 0.50% (2/401), respectively. Positive detection rates in bulk and prepackaged samples were 2.33% (36/1546) and 0.95% (8/838), respectively, with statistically significant differences (<i>χ²</i> = 5.66, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Positive detection rates were significantly different for samples collected from different sampling stages, of which at production and processing stages was 7.78% (20/257), catering stages 1.38% (10/727), and distribution stages 1% (14/1400) (<i>χ²</i> = 56.41, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Frozen rice and flour products, quick-frozen dishes, aquatic products, and meat and meat products are the main food products contaminated with <i>S. aureus</i>, and the resulting secondary contamination is a hidden danger for the occurrence of foodborne diseases, which should be given sufficient attention.