Camplobacter, FSA outlines strategy

By 2. September 2013Blog, Risk Management

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has outlined its strategy for fighting Camplobacter to be discussed by the board in its meeting on the 11th September.

Camplobacter is thought to be responsible for 460,000 cases of food poisoning in the UK per year, resulting in 220,000 hospitalisations and 110 deaths. In 2007/8 it was found that 65% of chicken on sale was contaminated with Camplobacter. Fighting this cause of food poisoning is high on the FSA’S agenda but there has not been a significant change in the number of cases per year since 2008.

The board hope to change this stagnation in progress in a number of ways, including increasing information about the levels of Camplobacter throughout the supply chain, working on ways to ensure carcasses are not contaminated in the slaughterhouse and working on packaging to reduce cross contamination.

Read the full press release on the FSA website.