The number of incidents and recalls dealt with by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is falling year on year, according to new figures.
The FSA unit responsible for incident response and prevention said challenges include increasing requirements to manage foodborne outbreaks, the need to adapt post-Brexit and the impact of supply chain disruptions such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022-23, the UK Food Safety Authority was notified of 2,038 food and feed safety incidents in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. This is a 13% decrease compared to 2,336 incidents in 2021-22.
Main hazards
The top four hazard types are pathogenic microorganisms, with a total of 572 species, including 314 allergens, 145 poverty or poorly controlled species, and 144 veterinary drug residues.
Alerts about pathogens accounted for the highest proportion at 28%, an increase of 2% from the previous year. Salmonella continues to be the cause of most microbiological incidents and outbreaks requiring FSA response. Levels of allergen events are similar to previous years.
Questions involving poverty and poor control fell from 296 in 2021-22. The increase in the previous period was due to imports transiting through the EU and avoiding UK border checks.
Residues involving veterinary medicinal products increased by 73% from the 83 reported in 2021-22. The FSA, the Veterinary Medicines Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) are investigating the reasons behind the surge.
Meat and meat products (excluding poultry) were the product with the most incidents, with 270 incidents in 2022-23, and have remained the most common product type since 2019, in part because they are the most frequently detected product type one.
More than 200 notifications related to cereals and bakery products were issued due to unauthorized ingredients and manufacturing, labeling and packaging issues.
Salmonella is behind most outbreaks
The number of alerts issued by the FSA decreased from 150 in 2021-22 to 143 in 2022-23. The latest issue includes 82 allergy alerts and 61 product recall information notices.
There were 36 foodborne outbreaks severe enough for FSA to intervene. These include 13 salmonella outbreaks, 10 listeria outbreaks, 8 E. coli outbreaks, 3 norovirus outbreaks, and one each of hepatitis A and cryptosporidiosis.
Figures from the UK Health Safety Authority (UKHSA) show that reported cases of salmonella have increased in 2022 but remain below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
FSA analysis shows there have been no significant changes in the prevalence of foodborne illness in 2022-23, and the number of outbreaks requiring the agency’s response has remained stable. The report notes that demand for FSA resources to conduct outbreak investigations is increasing due to whole genome sequencing (WGS) and better epidemiological information.
Since leaving the EU, there have been difficulties in dealing with some issues. One example is that Listeria monocytogenes in Enoki mushrooms from Asia was identified as a risk in April 2021, and although work was already underway, it took two years to fully recognize the issue and take action.
Following an incident that resulted in one death and two hospitalizations, the UK Food Safety Authority analyzed food sampling data and food exposure information collected by public health departments and local authorities. Listeria monocytogenes was detected in two types of cheese from the deceased’s home, with one containing much higher levels than the other.
Whole-genome sequencing confirmed it was the outbreak strain. Tests on other samples from one producer ruled out the origin of one of the cheeses. Results from further samples from the suspected company were confirmed to be consistent with the outbreak strain. Keep working to identify the root cause.
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