The microbiology of cooked prawns and shrimps on retail sale.

In an inter-laboratory survey, 148 samples of cooked prawns and shrimps were obtained at the point of sale to the consumer. Salmonellae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were not detected. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from three samples. Results for total viable count and presence of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus complied well with available guidelines for imported cooked prawns, suggesting that the risk of food poisoning from retail samples of these foods in the South of England is minimal.