There has been no recent monitoring of microorganisms on sheep at slaughter in England and Wales, the last survey being 20 years ago. To address this evidence gap, the FSA has commissioned a survey to gather data on the prevalence and levels of pathogenic and commensal microorganisms contaminating lamb and sheep carcases as this will inform several areas of the FSA’s work.
Surveys to monitor the presence of AMR bacteria in foods of animal origin is a requirement of the European Directive 2003/99/EC and the commission implementing decision 2013/652/EU on the monitoring and reporting of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in zoonotic and commensal bacteria.
This report estimates the difference in risk of campylobacteriosis for products from low-throughput and high-throughput poultry slaughterhouses in the UK
This project was developed following a 21st century abattoir review commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to explore areas where advanced technologies could augment or enhance the delivery of FSA’s official controls for meat safety, traceability and authenticity.
The FSA finalised a comprehensive critical review on the approaches to assess the infectivity of the HEV virus which is published [3] recommending that a cell culture based method should be developed for use with food.
A risk assessment on allowing meat and offal to be provided to consumers without the normal chilling process during Qurbani.
This project investigated how existing and new inspection technologies can be combined with advanced data analytics and incorporated into current meat inspection practices to deliver the 21st Century Meat Inspector.
A systematic literature review assessment comparing meat production processes in sixteen countries
This project performed a broad critical review of literature on interventions applied in a minced beef production chain for the reduction of bacterial load, with a focus on the pre-slaughter, slaughter, and post-slaughter production processes.
The aim of this review was to determine the impact secondary food processing has on the presence and spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria in meat and meat products. It also included consideration of bacterial stress responses and the use of sub-lethal food processing technologies in relation to AMR.
This survey looks at antimicrobial resistance in raw beef, pork and chicken samples at retail.
Research into consumer attitudes and behaviours around consumption of rare burgers, that is burgers that are not fully cooked through and still pink inside.
The FSA is working with partners in the UK and the EU to reduce cadmium levels in food where possible. The FSA undertakes and publishes various studies of cadmium levels in food and agrees appropriate legislation to promote food safety.
Research to inform advisory messaging about the risks of eating beef burgers cooked rare or medium.
The aim of this work was to develop and validate phenotypic and molecular methods for isolation, detection and partial characterisation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae in selected food matrices.
This project provided evidence to allow the FSA to better determine what controls should be placed on meat prior to mincing.
This study aims to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Campylobacter in retail chicken and AMR in Salmonella in retail pork as well as commensals in these meats.
This project involved the collection of fox carcasses and other wildlife species from around the UK for Trichinella testing.
This study investigated the effects of flooding on contaminant levels in meat and offal from grazing livestock and performed further monitoring of milk along one of the rivers investigated 10 years earlier.
The results of this study provide a robust measure of the acceptability, among UK consumers, of potential raw meat decontamination treatments. It measured the impact that different levels of information about the treatment would have on consumers' acceptability and labelling preferences, should treated meat go on sale.
This desk study has identified the options for delivering a safe and hygienic production of smoked skin on sheep meat and delivered a number of recommendations on areas that merit further research.
We are undertaking a harmonised survey of antimicrobial resistance in raw beef, pork and chicken samples at retail on behalf of the European Commission (EC).
We commissioned Mintel to conduct research to identify potential supply and demand side factors influencing trends in the UK gourmet burger restaurant sector. This project follows the Board’s concern about the growing trend of burgers being served rare in food service outlets, especially among niche gourmet burger restaurants.
APHA have updated their existing quantitative risk assessment model to refine the estimate of VTEC O157 within a burger as it is rapidly cooked to rare or medium in a domestic setting. Following this study, we commissioned RIVM to undertaken a further thermodynamic modelling study in early 2015.