Agency hosts international conference on campylobacter

Monday 29 March 2010

The Food Standards Agency is this week hosting an international conference to identify new ways of reducing the levels of the food bug campylobacter in UK chicken.

Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of food poisoning, causing an estimated 300,000 cases of illness every year in England and Wales alone. A recent survey carried out by the Agency showed that campylobacter was present in 65% of samples of chicken tested.

Food safety officials and industry representatives from around the world are meeting with their UK counterparts tomorrow and Wednesday in London. They will discuss the various methods used to successfully tackle campylobacter in other countries, and what the UK can learn from these. The conference will help the Agency decide what new approaches should be pursued in the UK.

Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'Tackling the problem of campylobacter in UK chicken is a key food safety priority for the Food Standards Agency over the next five years. The research we published last year showed that the levels of campylobacter are too high in this country and we need to find new ways of reducing the prevalence of this harmful bacteria.

'This conference has been organised to see what we can learn from other countries. There are various ways of reducing campylobacter in chickens such as anti-microbial washes, steam treatments and freezing. These methods have brought the levels of bacteria down significantly in some countries, but the challenge in the UK is to identify which of these could be used and also what would be acceptable to UK consumers.'

Campylobacter can be found in meat, unpasteurised milk and untreated water — but there is strong evidence that chicken is the most common cause of illness. The Agency’s study of more than 3,000 samples of shop-bought fresh chicken showed 65% contained the bacteria.

A recent European Food Safety Authority study showed that more than 70% of chicken across European Union countries was contaminated with campylobacter.

Tim Smith, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency, wrote to all of the major retailers in December to highlight the issue of campylobacter in chicken and to request their help in tackling the problem. He explained that the Agency wanted to work with the entire supply chain in the poultry industry to identify interventions that work and that the retail sector could have a significant impact.

While the Agency has identified tackling campylobacter as a key priority, it continues to emphasise that cooking chicken properly all the way through will kill the bug. People can avoid the risk of illness by handling, preparing and cooking chicken properly.