[The hygienic status of meat transport vans]

Meat transport vans were sampled using impression surfaces of violet red bile glucose agar (VRBG agar; in 1978) and plate count agar (PC agar) contained in so-called Rodac plates (during the period from 1979 to 1982). So-called hygienograms of each van were recorded. At the same time, scrapings from the vans were examined for contamination by Salmonella. The majority of meat vans were only slightly contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae. The state of hygiene of approximately fifty per cent of the meat vans examined with plate count agar was inadequate initially. However, considerable improvement occurred during the course of the investigations. Seasonal effects were merely limited. Moreover, there was not found to be any relationship between the appearance of scrapings positive for Salmonella and the state of hygiene of the transport vans. Systematic bacteriological examination of meat transport vans is considerably hampered in practice by the ambulatory character of meat transport.