NEWS
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Conclusions of EU meeting on ways to modernise health inspection in slaughterhouses now online In a meeting in Marcy l'Etoile in France on July 11th and hosted by the French Presidency of the Council of Europe, members of competent authorities together with representatives of relevant sectors, including members of EWFC, discussed the proposed makeover of the inspections of slaughterhouses and cutting plants. Over 100 participants and almost 30 speakers including current President of EWFC Mr. Stephane Touzet, gave their opinion on how the health inspections could be transformed, be cost effective and addressed the issues relating to risk assessment and management and hazard analysis in slaughterhouses, as well as EU regulations on livestock diseases and farm risk management. Discussions between sector professionals examined the links between farms and slaughterhouses, with examples from work done on information on the food supply chain and guides to good hygiene practices in livestock farming. Further on discussions on progress made on slaughterhouse inspection procedures, such as health management plans based on HACCP principles, visual inspection and the implementation of pilot programmes were on the agenda. Conclusions of the seminar will be used in meetings of the member states in October in Strasburg.
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Fresh vegetables and fruits are an increasing source of Salmonella
Fresh
vegetables and fruits are catching up with chicken as a major source of
Salmonella infections in the United States, according to an analysis of
food-poisoning outbreaks. Food safety has been a growing concern for consumers and regulatory agencies and the statistics could serve to widen those fears. A study of the University of Minnesota showed that antibiotics given to livestock can end up in vegetables and pose a health threat to consumers. The Minnesota study examined the use of animal manure as a fertilizer for vegetable crops. The new CSPI study indicates produce-related outbreaks tend to be larger than poultry-related outbreaks, and sicken more people, sometimes hundreds at a time, CSPI stated. Fresh vegetables and fruits triggered 554 outbreaks, sickening 28,315 people. Of those 554 outbreaks, 111 were caused by Salmonella. Although poultrymeat has historically been responsible for far more Salmonella infections, vegetable- and fruit products seems to be catching up, CSPI stated. From 1990 to 2001 poultry accounted for 121 Salmonella outbreaks and produce accounted for 80. But in 2002 to 2003, produce accounted for 31 Salmonella outbreaks and poultry accounted for 29. The figures were gathered from CSPI's alert database, which contains information on 4,500 infection outbreaks related to food between 1990 and 2003. CSPI's database includes only outbreaks where both the food and the pathogen are identified, so its data represents only a fraction of the total burden of food borne illnesses. The group is also calling on the Food and Drug Administration to require growers to limit the use of manure to times and products where it poses no risk. And packers and shippers should mark packaging to ensure easy traceback when fruits and vegetables are implicated in an outbreak. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are at the centre of a healthy diet, so it's critical that steps are taken to improve their safety,” CSPI director Caroline Smith DeWaal stated. The CSPI database indicates that seafood was responsible for 899 outbreaks during the study period, more than any other food. However seafood only accounted for about 9,312 illnesses. Unsafe poultry products triggered 476 outbreaks involving 14,729 illnesses, while beef triggered 438 outbreaks involving 12,702 illnesses. Eggs caused 329 outbreaks of sickness, involving 10,847 people. The Centres for Disease Control estimates that 76 million Americans get sick and 5,000 die from food borne hazards each year. In recent years, Salmonella outbreaks have been traced back to lettuce, salads, melons, beansprouts, tomatoes and other fruit- and vegetable-containing dishes. In 2004, there were three separate outbreaks involving 561 Salmonella infections that were linked to contaminated Roma tomatoes. From 2000 to 2002, Salmonella-contaminated cantaloupe imported from Mexico sickened 155 and killed two persons. Salmonella isn't the only pathogen that ends up on produce. In 2003, green onions in salsa from a Mexican restaurant in Pennsylvania - USA transmitted hepatitis A to 555 people, killing three. A bagged salad mix given restaurant patrons in the San Diego – California area infected 50 people with E. coli during the same year. CSPI has recommended the creation of a single USA food safety agency and an emphasis on improving on-farm practices to help prevent food borne illnesses. |