The independent FSA Science Council held its fifth meeting in London this week to discuss horizon scanning and best practice in data collection and usage at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). 

FSA Deputy Director of Science, Professor Rick Mumford, presented the FSA’s actions and measures of success in response to the recommendations made by the Science Council’s Working Groups One and Two in 2018. On the actions relating to risk, the Council was invited to discuss and advise on how they could add value and assurance to the risk assessment work the FSA will lead on after EU Exit.
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​Professor John O’Brien, gave an update on Working Group Three. Following the report to the FSA Board on food system risks and horizon scanning and their endorsement of the recommendations, the FSA will develop a strategic horizon scanning model to spot big issues in food coming over the next five to 10 years, and report back to the Science Council on progress in 12 months. The Council discussed the importance of private sector data to effective horizon scanning and encouraged the FSA to explore opportunities to access this information.

Professor Patrick Wolfe presented an update on Working Group Four, that is exploring data usage and digital technology.  Working Group Four discussions emphasised data standards, timeliness, data access and trust.

During phase two of their activity, Working Group Four propose to commission two pieces of work: one on the potential creation and use of ‘Data Trusts’ in the food sector, and another on providing a state-of-the-art summary of the latest developments and issues in the application of advanced data analytics.

The Council was also given an update on an induction event held for all members of the FSA’s Scientific Advisory Committees (SACs) and presented with the outputs of a horizon scanning workshop. This meeting included the 35 new experts recently recruited to join the SACs. The Council noted the benefits of having this interaction between the SACs – they can arrive at a better perspective on a problem if it can be viewed from different professional angles – and proposed that an annual event may be a suitable way for the SACs to feed into horizon scanning.

Finally, the Council were briefed on recent discussions at the FSA Board on the future FSA work plan around food hypersensitivity.  The Council agreed to go away and discuss how they could best contribute to this within their remit.

The papers discussed at the open meeting are available to read on the Science Council website and minutes will be published by the end of July.   

An investigation is underway into cases of listeria linked to sandwiches.

Public Health England (PHE), The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Public Health Wales (PHW), Food Standards Scotland (FSS), Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and a number of local authorities are currently investigating the source of listeria infections linked to pre-packed sandwiches.

Sandwiches and salads linked to the cases have been withdrawn and the supplier, The Good Food Chain, has voluntarily ceased production while the investigation continues. This business had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which subsequently produced a positive test result for the outbreak strain of listeria. This business and North Country Quality Foods who they distribute through, have also voluntarily ceased production.

The cases of listeria infection were in six seriously ill hospital patients in England. Three of these patients have sadly died. Currently there are no cases in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Listeria infection in healthy people is usually either unnoticed or may cause very mild illness. However, it can have more serious consequences for some people, particularly those with pre-existing health conditions and pregnant women. The health risk to the public remains low and individuals should only seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are also involved in the investigation and currently there are no cases in Scotland or in Wales.

The sandwiches and salads affected are no longer being produced while investigations continue and the affected products were withdrawn from hospitals when the links to the listeria infections were first identified.  

Dr Nick Phin, Deputy Director at the National Infection Service at PHE said:

“Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have sadly died. We, along with the FSA, colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public’s health.

“To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.”

Dr Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA said:

“Our sympathies are with the families of those patients who have tragically passed away.

“We have taken action along with local authorities to minimise the risk based on the evidence so far. The FSA will continue to investigate how the outbreak occurred and if further steps are required to protect vulnerable groups.”

Information on Listeriosis

Listeriosis is a rare infection and for most people it goes unnoticed or there are mild symptoms of gastroenteritis that usually last a short time without the need for treatment.
The time between exposure to the organism and the development of the illness can be up to 70 days.
Occasionally, however, a more serious infection develops and spreads to the blood stream or brain. This can happen in people who have serious underlying health conditions and can also occur in pregnant women. Pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions can find more information on the NHS website.

The best way to prevent listeriosis is to practice good food hygiene. We advise that chilled food should be put in a fridge or other suitable equipment as soon as it is delivered. Food that is required to be chilled is not permitted to be left out of temperature control for long periods of time.
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Food products are permitted to be out of temperature control for limited periods, providing there is no risk to food safety, to accommodate the practicalities of transport and storage.

The Food Standards Agency advises more extensive food labelling and sets out new priorities to protect food hypersensitive consumers.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today advised that increased allergen information should be provided on pre-packed direct sale food to give consumers greater confidence in the food they eat.

The Board also set out key priorities identified as part of an ambition to make the UK the best place for food hypersensitive consumers, which includes those with food allergy and intolerance.

At a public meeting, the Board agreed on advice for Ministers that full ingredient labelling should be mandatory for all pre-packed food for direct sale.

The FSA agrees with allergic consumers that full ingredient labelling would deliver a significant improvement, and greater consistency by following the same labelling system that consumers are familiar with, as found on packaged food.

The Food Standards Agency Chair, Heather Hancock said:

'Food allergies and intolerance affects millions of people and its impact can be as big or bigger than almost all other foodborne diseases.

'That is why we have concluded that more extensive food labelling is the right outcome to provide greater protection for consumers but introduced in a way that we can be confident will work.

'While it is impossible to eliminate the risks entirely, we consider that this change along with other measures we are prioritising will deliver more effective protection for allergic consumers.'

The Board also agreed that the department should lead on a range of work to promote and accelerate the sharing of best practice across the industry and improve awareness in businesses and the public.
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The decision by the Board will be the basis for the formal advice provided to Ministers who will take the final decision.

FSA explains 
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​‘Prepacked foods for direct sale’ are foods that have been packed on the same premises from which they are being sold. For example, a packaged sandwich or salad made by staff earlier in the day and placed on a shelf for purchase.

Currently, these foods are not required to carry labels and information on allergens, as it is expected that the customer can speak with the person who made or packed the product for this information.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today published the findings for wave five of the Food and You survey.

The Food and You survey, which includes data from England, Wales and Northern Ireland is used to collect information about the public’s self-reported behaviours and attitudes to buying, cooking and eating food and is published every two years.

Key findings:

Shopping habits
Since 2012, buying from mini supermarkets has increased from 35% to 43%, and supermarket home delivery has increased from 10% to 17%.

Food hygiene ratings for food businesses (FHRS) 
​The majority of respondents (87%) reported having seen the FHRS sticker. There have been increasing levels of recognition of the scheme stickers since they were introduced in 2010, from 34% in 2012, to 68% in 2014, 83% in 2016 and 87% in 2018.
Around three in five respondents mentioned good service (61%), a good hygiene rating score (60%) and the price of food (60%) as important in their decisions about where to eat out.
The IRP is a tool that the FSA use to measure food hygiene knowledge and behaviour in the home. A higher IRP score indicates more reported behaviours that are in line with recommended food safety practice. The average score in wave five is 67%, the same as reported in wave four and an increase from 64% in wave one, showing that most respondents follow our recommendations on food safety in the home
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Hygiene habits in the home 
The IRP is a tool that the FSA use to measure food hygiene knowledge and behaviour in the home. A higher IRP score indicates more reported behaviours that are in line with recommended food safety practice. The average score in wave five is 67%, the same as reported in wave four and an increase from 64% in wave one, showing that most respondents follow our recommendations on food safety in the home.

​Food poisoning 
In Wave 5, 47% of respondents reported that they had experienced food poisoning at some time in their lives, an increase from between 40% and 41% in 2012 and 2014 and 44% in 2016.

Michelle Patel, Head of Social Science said:

'We work hard to make sure that the consumer is at the heart of everything we do. Food and You is a unique, robust and representative dataset, and is one of several ways that we build a robust and representative evidence base on the interests of consumers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland when it comes to food.’

About the survey
Fieldwork for wave five was conducted between June and November 2018 and consisted of 2,241 interviews with a representative sample of adults (16 and over) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The FSA uses the information in Food and You to inform policies and its work with consumers.  It is also a useful resource for anybody interested in understanding consumer behaviour and attitudes towards food over several years.

Asia Halal Meat Suppliers Ltd fined £19,580 after pleading guilty to food hygiene offences.

A red meat cutting plant in Birmingham has been fined £14,666 plus costs of £4,794 after pleading guilty to food hygiene offences at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 8 March 2019. The business was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge which goes to the court.  

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) prosecuted Asia Halal Meat Suppliers Ltd for failing to ensure that its operatives were wearing appropriate protective clothing, including hairnets and beard snoods. 

The breach of regulations was identified by an FSA auditor on 15 January 2018 when an employee with facial hair was seen cutting and packing meat without protective clothing in the processing area. When the auditor began to take photographs as evidence the business owner moved in the way to prevent them from being taken.

The company had received previous warnings for the same issue in September 2017 which was detected during an unannounced inspection and they also received written advice following an audit in December of the same year. A statutory notice (RAN) was served on 10 January 2018 as a further warning.

Dr Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer of the FSA, said: 
‘We take breaches of all hygiene regulations seriously and I am pleased that this company has been held accountable for breaking these rules. 
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'Where food businesses fail to uphold acceptable food hygiene standards, we will not be prevented from gathering evidence to allow us to investigate and we will look to prosecute.'

The research, conducted by the Agency in partnership with local councils, looked at the levels of energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat, fibre, salt and portion size in an extensive range of locally produced scones sold in Northern Ireland. The survey findings, which are outlined in a report called Nutritional Content of Scones, found a wide range of nutritional values of scones and, not surprisingly, highlighted a correlation between larger portion sizes and increased calorie content.

Emily Latimer, Principal Environmental Health Officer representing the 11 district councils, explains:

“In 2018, the 11 district councils sampled a variety of plain, luxury and fruit scones from local coffee shops and cafes across Northern Ireland. The scone with the highest fat content (22.7g fat) was a raspberry and white chocolate luxury scone, while the largest, a fruit scone, contained in region of 750kcal and 39.2g of sugar.”

Fionnuala Close, Senior Dietary Health Advisor, FSA in Northern Ireland, added:

“Our role is to make people aware of the nutritional content of what they’re eating so they can make choices which contribute to a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet.

“Currently, 64% of adults and 27% of children aged 2-15 years old in Northern Ireland are classified as overweight or obese. Typically, our diets contain too much sugar, saturated fat and salt. As scones tend to be a regular favourite for many households in Northern Ireland, it is important to know what calories are in larger scones and to choose smaller portions, when available.”
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This survey is part of our wider Know Your Calories campaign which aims to inform the public of their recommended daily calorie intake and advise where to find calorie information when shopping and eating out. To maintain a healthy, balanced diet, a man needs around 2,500kcal per day and a woman needs around 2,000kcal per day.

The survey tested a subset of the Campylobacter isolates (Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains) from Year 3 of the UK retail chicken survey for AMR. Analysis was carried out between August 2016 and July 2017 during which 585 Campylobacter isolates from samples of whole, UK-produced, fresh chicken were tested.

Background

The development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a concern worldwide. The use of antibiotics is important in treating infections and preventing disease from arising in both animals and humans. However, the overuse and/or misuse of antibiotics in both animal husbandry and healthcare settings has been linked to the emergence and spread of microorganisms which are resistant to them, rendering treatment ineffective and posing a risk to public health.

The transmission of AMR microorganisms through the food chain is thought to be one of the routes by which people are exposed to AMR bacteria. However, there is uncertainty around the contribution food makes to the problem of AMR in human infections.

This report presents AMR data for a subset of Campylobacter isolates collected as part of the survey of Campylobacter contamination in fresh whole UK-produced chilled chickens at retail sale. There is a continued need to monitor the prevalence and types of AMR bacteria in retail chicken and other foods to inform a baseline and also the risk to public health.

What the results show

Read the report: AMR in Campylobacter from retail chilled chicken in the UK (Year 3: 2016-17)

Overall, the proportions of AMR Campylobacter isolates found in this study were similar to those reported in the previous survey year (July 2015 to July 2016), although the percentage of C. coli isolates with resistance to erythromycin was lower. Multi-drug resistance was similar to that found in the previous survey years.

Differences in levels of ciprofloxacin and tetracycline resistance for isolates from standard and free-range birds were examined. There were no differences within C. jejuni isolates but a higher proportion of C. coli isolates from free-range chickens were resistant, compared to isolates recovered from standard chickens. However, relatively few isolates were tested and this result has not been found in previous surveys. 

FSA’s Science lead in Microbiological Risk Assessment, Paul Cook said:
'While there is evidence that AMR Campylobacter is present on whole fresh chickens sold at retail in the UK, the risk of getting AMR-related infections through eating or preparing contaminated meat remains very low as long as you follow good hygiene and cooking practices.

'Tackling AMR is a significant priority for the FSA and across UK Government. This survey allows us to monitor AMR Campylobacter in retail chickens over time and overall results have remained stable.'

Year 3 Campylobacter retail chicken survey

The FSA has also published the Year 3 report for the UK retail chicken survey. This report collates the data for August 2016-July 2017 which has previously been published quarterly.

Compared to previous years of the retail survey, the report shows that the average proportion of fresh, whole chicken at retail sale in the UK that are contaminated with a high level of Campylobacter decreased considerably for this period.
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Consumer adviceChicken is safe as long as you follow good hygiene and cooking practices. 

• cover raw chicken and store at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot drip onto other foods and contaminate them with food poisoning bacteria such as Campylobacter
• don’t wash raw chicken - thorough cooking will kill any bacteria present, including Campylobacter, while washing chicken can spread germs by splashing
• thoroughly wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to prepare raw chicken
• wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, after handling raw chicken - this helps stop the spread of Campylobacter by avoiding cross-contamination
• make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly and steaming hot all the way through before serving. Cut into the thickest part of the meat and check that it is steaming hot with no pink meat and that the juices run clear.

• Draft review makes recommendations for industry and regulatory authorities to improve compliance and assurance.
• Recommendations to be considered by the Boards of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) on 17 October.

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The six-month review was launched in the wake of a number of high profile non-compliance issues identified at cutting plants. 

The review took a fundamental look at how the current arrangements could work better and focused on tackling the root causes of common issues, and not just the symptoms.

The recommendations, which are subject to the approval of each organisation’s Board at a meeting in Edinburgh on 17 October, are designed to prioritise food safety and improve overall industry standards in the meat supply chain.

The 19 recommendations for industry and regulators include:

• greater involvement of industry to produce clearer guidance to meet the needs of food businesses
• increased focus on skills and capabilities across industry
• greater data transparency and sharing across industry and with the regulators
• more effective use of data by regulatory authorities and improved regulatory coordination and consistency
• trialling the feasibility of using a single organisation to deliver all official controls in a geographic location

Jason Feeney, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency, said:
'We launched this review following a series of high profile events over the last 12 months at a number of meat businesses. These incidents cast a shadow over the whole sector and not just the businesses directly at fault.  This challenged consumer confidence and trust in the industry as a whole.

'This in-depth review has identified actions that the meat industry and the regulatory authorities can take to make improvements.

'There are good reasons why the meat industry has specific controls in place to protect public health and provide assurance about the authenticity of meat products on the market.

'We are pleased the industry participated so fully in this approach and we expect them to continue to work with us to deliver the recommendations once they have been agreed.'

Geoff Ogle, Chief Executive of Food Standards Scotland, said:
'This review is essential for ensuring the public continues to have full confidence in the safety of the UK’s meat industry. The majority of our meat sector acts responsibly ensuring food safety compliance across their process, and it is important that the actions of a minority do not damage the reputation of the whole sector.

'That’s why we and the Food Standards Agency have looked at a comprehensive evidence base and have made wide-ranging recommendations for improvement for both industry and regulators that will ensure the high standards and safety we expect in our meat industry.

'The input of industry bodies in this review has been, and will continue to be, paramount and we thank everyone who has contributed.

'When our respective Boards have agreed the next steps, we will work to deliver the improvements identified. All decisions and actions will continue to be taken in the best interests of consumers and will be based on the evidence base and expert scientific advice. We all have a part to play in ensuring the safety of our meat and meat products.'

National Inspection Strategies (NIS) have existed as a concept since Primary Authority was introduced, but no NIS has been developed for food partnerships to date. We see a potential for NIS to be part of our work to recognise compliant and transparent food businesses and help focus local authority activity towards those food businesses that are performing poorly or need more help.  

NIS involves one local authority – called the primary authority – working with a multi-site food business, for example a chain of restaurants or supermarkets, to ensure the business is meeting its food hygiene responsibilities through assessment of its central systems and other business data. The primary authority will use this intelligence to inform the frequency and nature of local authority inspections of individual outlets. 

In a NIS recognised by the FSA, routine inspections of individual outlets by local authorities will be less frequent than now and, importantly, the findings from those inspections will be fed back to the primary authority to provide assurance that the NIS is working as intended.

The Primary Authority scheme is overseen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and enables businesses to form a legal partnership with one local authority, which then provides assured and tailored advice on complying with regulations.

The pathfinder trial we are publishing today looked at whether primary authorities can access and use business data to predict how businesses are complying with hygiene regulations. We found an 80% match between the predicted food hygiene ratings based on a food business’ data and the actual rating given by an LA following an inspection 
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We have also published three draft standards that will ensure all parties in a NIS meet robust and demanding criteria and that the FSA's oversight and assurance of NIS is clear and transparent. 

It is estimated that the UK reports 1,000,000 cases  of food poisoning each year, with a rise in summer months, which is a potential consequence of unsafe barbecue food. So, it is important to be aware of the dangers of foodborne diseases from bacteria, such as Campylobacter, listeria and salmonella. 

So what should you do to avoid risk of food poisoning With 28% of people concerned about food poisoning, here are 5 easy tips for staying safe when cooking on the barbie:
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1.    Come clean 
Wash your hands thoroughly before cooking and eating. Wash your utensils and serving dishes in between use, taking special care not to mix up dishes used for holding raw food with dishes for cooked food. 

2.    Keep your cool 
Defrost your food in the fridge, NOT at room temperature, and ensure it is fully defrosted before cooking. When storing cooked food, cool it at room temperature before putting it in the fridge, but make sure you get it in the fridge within 2 hours.

3.    Feel the heat
Cook food at the right temperature and for the correct length of time to ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. Turn meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly. 

4.    Marinade mindfully
When applying a marinade to meat, be careful.  Don’t baste partially and cooked meat with a marinade that has been used on raw meat, as this can lead to cross-contamination.  If you would like to apply the marinade again as a baste – boil it in a pan, and it will be safe to use.

5.    Check it's done
Always check that meat juices run clear and that no pink meat is visible when cutting through the thickest part. Remember, charred on the outside doesn’t always mean cooked on the inside!