Food safety
The farm-to-form chain needs to be well regulated to avoid outbreaks of salmonella.
retaining skilled staff. Given high staff turnover and insufficient training, this complicates adherence to food safety protocols and makes consistent enforcement of standards more difficult. Where salmonella outbreaks do occur it reinforces the point that there is scope for infection to occur anywhere along the farm-to-fork food chain. “The UK takes a one health approach to food
safety,” says Cooper, meaning that controls are in place to mitigate risks from farm to fork. “Defra take the lead on controls on farms that limit the spread of salmonella, in particular the national control plans that aim to limit salmonella in poultry.” These controls include acting before an animal is sent to the slaughterhouse to ensure that there are extra measures in place to mitigate risk, which can be found in the FSA’s Manual of Official Controls. “Further to this, hygiene regulation (assimilated Regulation 853/2004) lays down specific rules on the hygiene of food of animal origin for food business operators,” Cooper further notes, What this means is that clear standards and controls are in place that must be adhered to in slaughterhouses and cutting plants to prevent the contamination of meat. To support this objective, according to
Cooper, assimilated Regulation 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs sets out microbiological food hygiene process and food safety limits that, if triggered, require a range of corrective actions from improvements in slaughter practices and the review of controls, to the complete removal of the product from the market.
Finding the culprits
Siobhan Silas, senior policy and public affairs Executive at The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, notes, however, that while the responsibility to prevent against the outbreak of food-borne illnesses ultimately exists across all actors within the food system, it is (sometimes) difficult to attribute food-borne illness to
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specific actors and settings. In 2018, the CIEH, alongside various partners, carried out research commissioned by the FSA to systematically review the proportion of food-borne diseases associated with food preparation or handling practices in the home. “The findings indicate a complex picture of attributing food-borne illness incidence to specific settings, with most studies suggesting the highest proportion of illnesses deriving from commercial food service settings,” she says, adding: “However, domestic hygiene and food preparation practices, including inadequate temperature control and cross- contamination, are identified as significant risk factors.” EH (environmental health) professionals are on the front line when it comes to preventing food-borne illnesses, having been tasked with inspecting food establishments, enforcing regulations and educating the public. However, their effectiveness is hampered by a critical shortage of workforce, as highlighted by the FSA’s ‘Capacity and Capability’ report. This shortage is a pressing concern that threatens the ability to maintain food safety standards, according to Silas. Ultimately it comes down to prioritising funding and resources to support the recruitment, retention and training of EH professionals. “In our 2024 manifesto for environmental health we called upon the UK government to increase funding to support regulatory and environmental health functions in local authorities, provide sufficient ring-fenced funding for environmental health apprentices and trainees, and include environmental health professionals in all public health development plans,” says Silas.
This includes expanding efforts to educate both the public and food industry workers on best practices in food safety with tailored campaigns to address specific risks associated with domestic and commercial food preparation; as well as stronger partnerships among government bodies, the food industry, academia and public health organisations to develop innovative solutions to food safety challenges. Unsurprisingly, a lot of work remains to be done. ●
Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
New Africa/
Shutterstock.com
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