FSA’s food hygiene plans come under pressure

Despite some stakeholders expressing concern about the plans, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues looking into a new form of food hygiene regulation for large, national businesses.

At a FSA board meeting this week, members were told about the results of a trial in England with Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose over the past year. In the project, retailers provided data monthly to the FSA and their primary authority on areas including chilling processes, pest control, and cleaning. 

Under the current system, supermarket premises get a planned inspection by their local authority every few years. Large firms would be regulated as a whole business if the plans go ahead. 

The Board said national-level regulation could provide additional scrutiny of the food safety controls in some businesses serving many customers. Further details will be presented at the next meeting in December.

Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the FSA, said: “The evidence from the trial presented to us suggests these ideas will give us access to more data about food hygiene and, more often, complement the existing inspection regime. The Board has asked officials to engage with governments, local authorities, businesses and other stakeholders and to report back to us in December with a comprehensive plan for the next steps.”

Pushback on plans
Almost 60 comments were received before the board meeting, with many people opposing the move to national-level regulation and questioning the use of self-regulation, internal audits, and third-party assurance data to show compliance.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the professional body representing Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, said the proposals raise concerns regarding consumer confidence, public health, and transparency.

CIEH said there was a danger that food safety controls could be weakened, placing public health at risk and undermining consumer confidence in how food is regulated or food safety concerns are dealt with.

Fran McCloskey, CIEH’s chief executive officer, said, “CIEH wants to ensure any regulatory changes maintain or improve our high food safety standards. We recognize the importance of regulatory modernization, but we are concerned that the lack of robust evidence and meaningful consultation with stakeholders may result in proposals that will not deliver for consumers.”

Professor Chris Elliott, vice president at CIEH, said: “I am concerned that without careful consideration, these reforms could weaken the systems we rely on to ensure food quality and safety. We must not lose sight of the critical role that strong, local authority regulatory oversight plays in maintaining public trust in how we regulate food and safeguarding the well-being of consumers.”

Outbreak updates
Meanwhile, updates have been shared on several outbreak investigations.

As of August, 290 cases had been reported in an E. coli O145 outbreak. Two people died and there were nine cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Consumers reported eating pre-packed sandwiches, with the most common raw material being apollo leaf lettuce. This led to a June recall of several products linked to one UK supplier. Investigations into the root cause of the outbreak are ongoing. 

Another E. coli O145 outbreak was linked to unpasteurized milk cheeses produced by Mrs. Kirkham’s in Lancashire. Patients fell ill between July and December 2023.

In late July 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) notified the FSA of four new cases between June and July, bringing the number of sick people to 40, including two deaths. One of these deaths was part of the latest update.

While there is a microbiological link between the latest patients and previous cases, investigations did not identify a food chain link between them and Mrs. Kirkham’s products.

FSA and the UKHSA are also investigating a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has caused two deaths and three confirmed infections.

Cases have been linked to sandwiches supplied by the Real Wrap Co. sent to hospitals and to food and environmental samples taken from the manufacturing site. A recall and withdrawal were undertaken in June.

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