At any price point, the food you purchase should be safe whatever your dietary requirements are. However foodborne illness is estimated to cost 10.4 billion pounds annually in the UK by government.
From the latest official government data up to the end of 2023, there was an increase in 2023 of Campylobacter spp, 71,710 confirmed cases, Non-typhoidal Salmonella spp, 10,257 confirmed cases, and Listeria monocytogenes 203 confirmed cases,
“Severity of disease varies considerably by pathogen. Despite a lower number of associated outbreak cases overall compared to Salmonella spp. and enteric virus outbreaks, the greatest number of hospitalised cases over the 5-year period were associated with (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli) STEC/other DEC outbreaks (275 cases, 33% of all reported hospitalisations). The percentage of outbreak associated cases reporting hospitalisation was higher in 2023 than any other year in the last decade”.
In the last 25 years the total number of confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), I believe, has not improved and the latest government data only gives the STEC O157 number of cases and not the other Non O157 STEC cases, which are required to give a true picture as to the total number of cases and therefore the size of the problem. There are approximately 1500 cases of STEC annually in the UK.
“Reported hospitalisations among cases associated with Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks varied between 91% and 100% across the 5 years of 2019 to 2023”.
Prior to a new Border Target Operating Model being introduced, we responded to the consultation on 17/05/2023 expressing our concerns in relation to food import safety.
We have now been made aware of the following:
Lucy Manzano Head of Port Health and Public Protection, Dover Port Health Authority on the 4th February this year, in oral evidence told the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in relation to illegal meat.
“In the first two days of February, the Dover Port Health Authority team have already removed almost four tonnes. That is in two days. If we are not there, this stuff is going out on the shelves. This is not stuff where traditionally it would be hard to get hold of. This stuff is appearing in shops, on high streets and in markets”.
“DEFRA has continually stated that there are robust controls in place. There are not. They do not exist. It has overstated the activities of Border Force at the border to identify commercial goods. It implies that there is some form of sifting taking place at the border to identify food. It continues to refer to illegal checks taking place at the point of entry and only legal goods going forward to a BCP, accessed without control 22 miles away and, most importantly, not replicated at any other point of entry into the UK.
Sevington is the Border Control Point (BCP) in Ashford 22 miles away that is being mentioned and critics have warned that many lorries maybe simply failing to turn up for the checks, due to a lack of enforcement.
“That is why we are confident and have presented evidence very clearly to DEFRA, and indeed to the Food Standards Agency, to demonstrate that the systems in place to safeguard this country from a biosecurity point of view, the absolute cornerstone of import controls—keeping the bad stuff out—is not working”. Link below to this oral evidence.
https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15336/pdf/
Research in the link below highlights ‘Going dark’ or under the radar? Challenges and opportunities for local authorities and dark kitchens in ensuring food safety.
Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) reported having experienced various problems relating to hygiene and food safety standards Including lack of staff training, hot water. inadequate cleaning practices, cross-contamination - in particular where multiple food businesses are operating from the same premises and Food safety handling during delivery etc.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713525000489
