FSA sees incidents decline as Listeria claims top spot

Listeria has overtaken Salmonella as the main pathogen in incidents involving the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

FSA was notified of 1,837 food and feed safety incidents in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales during 2023/24. This is the lowest amount for the past six years.  

While incidents have declined, the agency said it deals with more complex events and outbreaks, which take longer to resolve. Examples include fake branded Wonka chocolate and glycerol in slush ice drinks.

Pathogenic microorganisms, allergens, food additives and flavorings, and poor or insufficient controls were the top hazard types.

Meat and meat products were involved in more than 300 incidents. Next were dietetic foods and food supplements, with 136, followed by poultry meat products, cereals and bakery products, and fruits and vegetables.

Incidents by pathogen
There were 55 outbreaks and incidents of foodborne disease. Listeria monocytogenes was the top occurring pathogen, a change to previous years when Salmonella was the most common. Thirteen alerts were due to Listeria, a dozen were due to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), 11 were suspected of norovirus, and nine were for Salmonella. Seven of the STEC incidents were non-O157.

“Laboratories in England are enhancing detection techniques for STEC in human cases as a priority. We therefore expect to see a continual rise in detection of widespread pathogenic STEC foodborne illness and outbreak investigations,” said FSA.

Examples of Listeria outbreaks that impacted vulnerable consumers were one traced to a smoked salmon supplier, illnesses linked to a healthcare setting, a manufacturer of ready-to-eat chicken supplied to a sandwich firm, and a raw milk cheese producer.

One issue highlighted was salmonella-contaminated poultry meat and eggs imported from Poland. In 2020 and 2021, there was a serious Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to frozen breaded chicken. Poland introduced voluntary measures and additional legislation to improve the situation.

The issue was picked up again in late 2023. An audit of Polish poultry controls in April 2024 was mainly positive, showing that authorities are taking steps to manage the issue.

An outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O145 in December 2023 had 36 confirmed cases and one probable case. The sample dates of patients ranged from July to December 2023, and their ages ranged from 2 to 81. There was a high hospitalization rate, and one person died.

Epidemiological and food chain investigations indicated an association with unpasteurized cheeses, with many cases traveling on the same train operator that had served such cheeses as part of a charcuterie board. The outbreak strain was found in the environment of a farm that supplied Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese after sampling collected by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese restarted cheese sales in April.

Non-compliant products and root causes
There has been a rise in the number of goods not intended for the UK market from countries such as the United States being sold in retail and online. This made up 5 percent of incidents in 2023/24. 

Items include soft drinks, confectionery, and cereals. Some are not compliant with UK food additive laws and have undeclared ingredients or prohibited substances. FSA has written to 49 UK companies identified as importers to remind them of their legal responsibilities to ensure compliance with the food they supply.

More than 255 root cause analysis reports were received from businesses involved in incidents. Undeclared milk allergen and Salmonella were the two key trend areas.

The main cause of undeclared milk was errors in the process. An example is an ingredient containing milk not being declared on the label. For Salmonella, the top cause was related to errors in materials. This could include chicken being contaminated prior to arrival at the business but not being detected, leading to cross-contamination during further processing.

Engagement with the International Food Safety Authority Network (INFOSAN) has been reduced. Still, the FSA has secured an agreement with the EU Commission to discuss large-scale incidents and outbreaks directly.

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