There will be 60 outbreaks in the UK in 2023, affecting 1,500 people, an increase on the previous year, according to a recently published report covering food safety in the supply chain. .
The UK Food Security Report contains data available from 2021 to 2024. There are five themes, including Food safety and consumer trust.
This section covers trends in consumer confidence, warnings of food safety incidents, food poisoning outbreaks, food crimes, and food companies’ compliance with hygiene regulations.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, an average of 2,133 food safety incidents were recorded per year between 2019/20 and 2023/24, ranging from 2,478 in 2019/20 to 1,837 in 2023/24. There is a wide range of cases. In Scotland, an average of 115 incidents were recorded between 2019/20 and 2023/24, ranging from 94 in 2020/21 to 139 in 2022/23.
Occurrence data for 2023
A quarter of all incidents over the past three years involved microorganisms that can cause illness, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella. Data from UKHSA, Public Health Wales, Public Health Scotland and Public Health Northern Ireland reporting systems shows that 71,710 laboratory-confirmed infections were caused by Campylobacter and 71,710 were caused by Salmonella. There were 10,257 cases and 762 cases of E. coli O157. In 2023, Listeria monocytogenes will reach 203.
Reports of other STEC serogroups, such as STEC O26 and O145, have increased over the past decade. Some of the increase is due to laboratory testing methods, but officials believe there is also a true increase in the number of infections.
In 2023, 60 outbreaks were reported in the UK, of which 16 were caused by viruses and 14 were caused by STEC and other diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC). There were eight outbreaks each of salmonella and listeria. Four cases were due to Campylobacter, three to Clostridium perfringens, two to rubella, and one to Cryptosporidium. In 2023, there were 1,500 cases and 11 percent hospitalizations related to foodborne illness outbreaks. More than 520 cases each were caused by viruses such as salmonella and norovirus. In 2022, 40 outbreaks occurred, and the number of infected people was 1,468.
Eight outbreaks in 2023 were caused by crustaceans, shellfish, and molluscs, and six were caused by beef or bovine meat products. Five cases each were related to poultry meat products and complex or mixed foods, and four cases each were related to fruits and vegetables and dairy products.
Between 2019 and 2023, there were several large salmonella outbreaks, with more than 1,000 cases of illness linked to poultry meat products from Poland. Another major incident was an outbreak linked to pork snack products sold across the UK by the Tayto Group.
The FSA and FSS investigated five incidents involving Vibrio bacteria in shellfish products between 2022 and 2023. Four of the incidents involved imported products and one was the first incident reported in UK waters since records began.
Food crime and consumer views
The report also highlights the main issues addressed by the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) and the Scottish Food Crime Unit (SFCIU) in 2023 and 2024. They include criminal charges involving dangerous non-food and meat products sold as food. product department. Interventions in the illegal smokey trade were a key driver of signals in the meat product category. Smoky is a product made by blowing and grilling sheep or goat carcasses with the skin on.
The FSA and FSS issued 136 food warnings in 2023/24, compared to 154 in 2022/23. This decrease was primarily driven by lower allergy alerts.
Confidence that food is safe to eat remained stable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from July 2020 to July 2023, based on FSA findings. Data from April to July 2023 showed that 88% of people are confident that the food they buy is safe. It’s safe.
According to survey results from October 2022 to January 2023, 40% reported washing raw chicken at least sometimes, contrary to FSA recommendations. Although 65% perceived the use-by date as information indicating that the food was no longer safe to consume, people reported eating food past this date. Bagged salads and cheese were the products respondents were most likely to eat at any point after their use-by date.
The report said a shortage of local government food staff is impacting the frequency of business inspections and related enforcement actions. This can affect consumers’ access to safe food and their confidence in the effective regulation of the food system.
Trends show that the number of food samples taken by local authorities has declined over the past decade. This is due in part to reduced municipal resources and overall fiscal constraints.
Among the companies surveyed, the analysis shows that food hygiene compliance is on the rise. However, there is still a backlog in the number of stores waiting to be inspected.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here. )
