We don’t often have Staphylococus aureus examples to share with food handlers, but the below story is a good one to use.  Four separate outbreaks occurring over about a month (demonstrates that this likely was a food safety culture breakdown as much as a microbiology problem). This story also highlights why it’s not a great idea to have cream filled baked goods sit at room temperature. It’s a bit of a guess since information on the specifics of the outbreak is hard to come by, but I see three factors potentially leading to this outbreak:

– Hygiene:  Improper handwashing after touching face/eyes/nose or sneezing on the fillings (or ingredients). Staphylococcus aureus is common on skin.
– Sanitation issues: Possibly the multiple outbreaks happened as a result of one poor hygiene event and contamination became resident on some equipment (a mixer blade, bowl, etc) that wasn’t cleaned/sanitized between use.
– Temperature abuse: regardless of contamination route the biggest failure here (assuming it was cream-filled pastries) is holding the products at temperatures suitable for growth of the pathogen and toxin formation.

The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food businesses, is now available at www.foodsafetyinfosheets.com
Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:
– Testing revealed Staphylococcus aureus in Rolf’s Patisserie products.
– Bakery products such as cream-filled pastries like cream pies and chocolate eclairs are often implicated in Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks.
– Outbreaks at bakeries are often linked to poor personal hygiene, contaminated equipment and temperature abuse.

You can download the food safety infosheet here.