The contamination of food by pathogens occurs in canteens, restaurants, fast-food services and cafeterias as a result of failure to observe proper sanitation, improper cooling of foods, cross-contamination and long interval between preparation and consumption, a large number of people over a wide area might be affected. This research study reports the bacteriological evaluation of food contact surfaces of food canteens in Mini and Main campus, Gwagwalada, University of Abuja. A total of 390 samples were collected from 43 canteens for this study. Bacterial isolation was done using Nutrient Agar, Mannitol Salt Agar, Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB), and Mackonkey Agar, using the streak inoculation method and all the cultural morphology of the colonies was observed and recorded. The total number of growth observed on Eosin methylene blue was 85. 20 were from plates, 15 were from refrigerator handle (B) and 50 were from table tops (C). The total growth observed from Macconkey was 266. 102 were from plates, 65 were from refrigerator handle (B) and 99 were from table tops (C). The growth observed on mannitol salt agar was 37 from which 15 were from plates (A), 5 were from refrigerator handle (B) and 17 were from table tops (C). The growth observed on nutrient agar was 381 from which 129 were from plates (A), 82 were from refrigerator handles (B) and 170 were from table tops (C). The total number of isolates recovered from this research was 116 isolates. The percentage prevalence of bacteria isolates from this study, as determined by biochemical characterization, is Staphylococcus 30 (7.7%), Streptococcus 15 (3.8%), Bacillus 27 (6.9%), Klebsiella 10 (2.6%), Escherichiacoli 41 (10.5%) and Proteus 8 (2.1%) from both campuses. A chi-square test of independence showed no significant association between campus location and bacterial isolate distribution, χ2(5) = 4.68, p = 0.46. This study established that unhygienic food handling predisposes food consumers to various pathogens, which are harmful and therefore necessitates the need for improved hygienic practices.
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