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This paper seeks to highlight the importance of bacterial associations with surfaces, with particular reference to food processing.

A historical and interdisciplinary review of recent literature combined with research on biofilms on surfaces was conducted.

The association of micro‐organisms with surfaces is the prevailing microbial lifestyle and bacterial biofilms may represent reservoirs for the spread of antimicrobial‐resistance genes.

This paper is a condensed summary of relevant information on the discipline of bacterial biofilms as a whole, with special reference to food processing and safety.

Environmental conditions in a food manufacturing plant have a great impact on food safety and product quality. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the various components that make up the environment or contribute to the quality of the environment.

The paper examines the way in which the air quality in the factory environment is defined, and discusses the affect that staff flow, product flow and factory finishes has on the environmental conditions in the factory.

There is no clearly defined guideline which adequately covers the environmental control of food plants.

The concept of defining food plant environments by way of cleanroom classification is relatively new in the food industry.

The Southern African Auditor and Training Certification Association (SAATCA) needed to improve their food safety management systems auditor registration scheme and reviewed other food safety auditor registration schemes in operation internationally. This information was used during Advisory Committee forums as the basis for the development of a new scheme to meet the unique requirements of the South African food safety arena. The purpose of this paper is to present this process and its results.

Four schemes in use internationally were reviewed. Their relative merits were discussed and relevant principles adopted or modified to fit the objectives of the SAATCA Advisory Committee.

None of the schemes reviewed adequately addressed the developmental status of food safety management systems auditing in Southern Africa. Existing schemes assumed a well developed knowledge of good hygiene practices (GHP) and good manufacturing practices (GMP). Although this is obviously a requirement for effective food safety management systems, it could not be assumed that all auditors are competent in these principles. A new model is proposed to address the unique local requirements while taking cognisance of international good practice.

A new scheme which addressed the requirements of the South African food safety arena was developed. This information may benefit other auditor registration schemes internationally.

For nearly 150 years the study of food safety has been dominated by a microbiological approach, however, in many countries cases of foodborne disease are at record levels. The purpose of this paper is to review the history of food safety and present a model for studying food safety.

The history of food safety is reviewed. Data from outbreak investigations and observational studies of food handling are analysed

Whilst micro‐organisms are a major factor in foodborne disease and microbiology an important research discipline, in order to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease additional research approaches should be used. Such strategies should include food handler behaviour and its links with food safety organisational culture, and food safety management systems.

The findings highlight the limitations of the present approach and the need for additional data, using a wider range of research techniques

A novel model for studying food safety is presented, which has practical implications for reducing the economic and social burden of foodborne disease.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the hygiene of surfaces that come into direct contact with the ready to eat dried meat product, biltong, at point‐of‐sale in three different retailers in Johannesburg, South Africa, by investigating the presence of indicator organisms.

Samples were collected and plated in duplicate for aerobic plate, total Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and Escherichia coli counts using standard methods. Typical E. coli colonies on Rapid E. coli 2 Agar™ were selected and further identified using 16S rDNA molecular sequencing methods.

Bacterial counts associated with biltong product ranged between 6–7 Log CFU/g, while counts on cutting utensils ranged between 5–6 Log CFU/cm². Overall, the lowest counts were associated with display cabinets (2–6 Log CFU/cm²). Predominant populations were often similar between biltong product and various surface samples, indicating potential cross‐contamination. Results from 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that E. coli strains isolated from biltong product and correspondingly from cutting utensils, were 100 per cent genetically similar. Strains of potential pathogens belonging to the Shigella dysenteriae group (99 per cent) were also identified.

This paper highlights that surfaces in direct contact with biltong, an increasingly popular dried meat commodity worldwide, may act as potential sources for cross‐contamination of product with potential food‐borne pathogens, which may hold foodborne illness implications.

Food and water safety is a major international concern. Among the food groups implicated with greater frequency in recent years as having caused or been associated with enteric diseases in humans are raw fruits and vegetables. Outbreaks of diseases caused by infectious and toxigenic bacteria as well as parasites and viruses have been documented to occur as a result of consumption of contaminated produce. This paper seeks to review the scientific literature reporting evidence to support the potential for preharvest contamination of fruits and vegetables intended to be eaten raw.

Sources of preharvest contamination of produce include manure, manure compost, sewage sludge, irrigation water, runoff water from livestock operations, and wild and domestic animals. Literature was reviewed to assess the conditions affecting survival of pathogenic microorganisms originating from these sources in preharvest environments and potential for contamination of produce before or at the time of harvest.

Prevention of preharvest contamination is essential to minimizing the risk of illness caused by consuming raw produce because postharvest treatment with sanitizers cannot be relied upon to eliminate pathogens.

A better understanding of the behaviour of pathogens in preharvest environments will enhance the prospect of developing effective strategies and interventions that will assure the delivery of safe produce to the consumer.

This paper seeks to cast light on the issues impacting South African food research. During the first decade of democracy the South African research and development sector has experienced many changes and although the aim of these changes was to bring about efficiency, the research and development (R&D) fraternity is still faced with various challenges in its endeavours to meet the demands from commerce and industry. As a result of continuously changing market demands the food and drink industry has become one of the main sectors that are dependant on novel technologies developed by the R&D sector.

An overview of the broader South African research landscape is given followed by a closer look at the nature and extent of local food‐related research.

In order to meet the demand of industry a new mindset is required amongst research institutions towards providing an array of scientific services that extend intra‐ and inter‐disciplinary boundaries and where long‐term partnerships between food industries and the R&D sector are forged. However, against this backdrop South Africa's national research priorities are increasingly directed towards poverty alleviation and development. Human resources in science and technology have not been developed adequately, which in turn has resulted in an aging and declining scientific population. Thus, a balancing act is needed in order to address the scant human resources while at the same time effectively bridging the innovation chasm. This predicament extends to food researchers who find themselves amidst a well developed and technologically advanced formal industry while at the same time having to address issues relating to a relatively primitive yet lucrative informal food sector.

The paper presents novel information regarding South African food research and places it in context against the broader research landscape.

The purpose of this paper is to report on ethnographic research that investigated how self-employed nurses perceive the contemporary healthcare field, what attributes they possess that facilitate their roles as change agents, what strategies they use to influence change, and what consequences they face for their actions, thus contributing to what is known about organizational change in institutionalized settings such as healthcare.

Focussed ethnography was used to explore self-employed nurses’ work experiences and elucidate the cultural elements of their social contexts, including customs, ideologies, beliefs, and knowledge and the ways that these impact upon the possibilities for change in the system.

These self-employed nurses reflected on the shortcomings in the healthcare system and took entrepreneurial risks that would allow them to practice nursing according to their professional values. They used a number of strategies to influence change such as capitalizing on opportunities, preparing themselves for innovative work, managing and expanding the scope of nursing practice, and building new ideas on foundational nursing knowledge and experience. They had high job satisfaction and a strong sense of contribution but they faced significant resistance because of their non-traditional approach to nursing practice.

Despite dramatic restructuring in the Canadian healthcare system, the system remains physician-centered and hospital-based. Nursing ' s professional potential has been largely untapped in any change efforts. Self-employed nurses have positioned themselves to deliver care based on nursing values and to promote alternative conceptions of health and healthcare. This study offers a rare exploration of this unique form of nursing practice and its potential to influence health system reform.