The authors have been conducting research on the removal of residual food allergens using hypochlorous acid water. As part of this research project, a survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 1,755 facilities, including authorized daycare centers and certified children's centers (hereinafter referred to as “daycare centers”) in Prefecture A. The survey aimed to assess food allergy awareness and the cleaning methods currently employed in cooking facilities. The 21-item questionnaire was primarily composed of six items pertaining to the basic attributes of cooking facilities, and 12 items focused on cleaning methods employed in these facilities. The survey items were developed by the authors, as no exemplars of this kind of survey could be identified. The valid response rate was 31.1% (546 facilities), and the survey results revealed the following characteristics:
A high degree of similarity was observed in the attributes of food preparation facilities between authorized daycare centers and certified children’s centers, based on responses from 527 facilities. The following trends were observed: 58% of facilities employed two to three staff members responsible for meal preparation, 53% had a nutritionist working on a daily basis, 73% served between 51 and 300 meals, 72% provided 0-5 meals for children with food allergies, and 87% implemented dry system hygiene management. In terms of cleaning methods, approximately 75% of facilities had implemented cleaning measures specifically designed to address allergen removal, whereas around 25% had not. Furthermore, 93% of the facilities performed sterilization procedures, utilizing hypochlorous acid water either alone or in combination with alcohol and/or other substances. Specifically, 13.7% of authorized daycare centers (37 out of 408 individually, 19 out of 408 in combination) and 21.8% of certified children’s centers (7 out of 55 individually, and 5 out of 55 in combination) adopted these procedures. Regarding cleaning procedures, approximately 35 % of respondents indicated that there were no frequently overlooked tasks, while the remaining respondents reported that certain omissions were present. The most frequently neglected tasks were water cleansing (approximately 50%) and washing with detergent (approximately 17%). In contrast, the failure to implement sterilization procedures was exceptionally rare, with only 2% of respondents indicating such omissions
Based on these findings, it can be anticipated that hypochlorous acid water, which is easy to handle and possesses the potential to safely eliminate food allergens, will be used more frequently in cooking facilities, such as those in daycare centers, in the future.
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