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Background/Aim. Establishing a food safety control system is extremely important in preventing diseases associated with foodborne pathogens. The aim of this study was to examine the hygiene status of food contact surfaces and the application of good hygiene practices by food handlers in school canteens. Methods. A total of 10,366 swabs were taken from food contact surfaces, including food handler’s hands from public school canteens in Novi Sad, Serbia, over ten years (2008–2017), covering voluntary good hygiene practices and obligatory Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) implementation periods. Results. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in aerobic colony counts (ACCs) on surfaces between two examined periods were found. A general positive trend regarding the reduction of microbial contamination of food contact surfaces was observed. The percentage of surfaces swabs with ACCs above 2.48 log CFU/cm2 significantly decreased (R2 = 0.453) during the study period, and the percentage of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus in the swabs also decreased, but not significantly (R2 = 0.264), and average annual Enterobacteriaceae counts above the established limit values on surfaces significantly decreased (R2 = 0.442) over the years. A significantly higher (p < 0.05) percentage of workers’ hands harbored ACCs, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, and Enterobacteriaceae above the established limits than the equipment or work surfaces. Conclusion. The results obtained showed the proper implementation of good hygiene practices concerning food contact sur-faces, but the implementation of good personal hygiene practices needs enhanced supervision.

Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a priority at the global, national, and local levels. To inform improvements planning, conditions of WASH, waste management, and environmental cleaning were assessed in 81 facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of a nationally representative survey in 2019. The survey included on-site checks, structured interviews, and drinking-water quality analysis. WHO/UNICEF indicators for WASH service levels and an advanced service level defined at the national level were applied. The results showed that all investigated facilities provided basic water services; 94% of facilities provided basic hygiene and waste management services; 58 and 2%, respectively, provided basic cleaning and sanitation services. Only 1% of investigated facilities met the basic level for all five WASH dimensions. Advanced service levels were only met for hygiene, waste management, and/or cleaning in 15-38% of facilities. In 33% of health care facilities, drinking-water quality was not in compliance with the national standards. The results revealed that there is a need for increased awareness and efforts to ensure basic provisions for sanitation, environmental cleaning, and drinking-water safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]