Safe to say that it is a real obsession

Related tags Food safety Foodborne illness

Constant vigilance ensures consumers are rarely exposed to risk, says Garry Parker

Next month the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will host an international workshop with the aim of identifying threats to food safety, improving the food industry and the government's ability to tackle problems. If you were thinking of attending, think again because the event was oversubscribed before the end of last year. As ever, food safety remains firmly at the top of the agenda for manufacturers, retailers, researchers and academics.

Foreseeing new threats is important to tackle them effectively but, as a food manufacturer, how do you predict what issue will hit the front pages of national newspapers?

Hands up, for example, those who knew what Sudan 1 really was until two years ago this month, when the UK food industry had to endure a massive product recall after the illegal dye was found in the food chain.

In the end, nearly 600 products were affected by the red dyes used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes that turned up in Worcester sauce being used as a food ingredient.

Chris Woodcock, md of Bicester-based crisis and issues management consultancy Razor, says: "The potential for accidental product contamination is a commonly acknowledged problem for food companies as products become more complex and ingredients are sourced globally."

She adds: "However, the incidence of malicious tampering is also a growing problem as organisational change can create employee disgruntlement." In response, the company has just launched a new insurance package to provide cover for food companies if they become embroiled in crisis management and product recall issues.

For the past 18 months, Kingsmill loaves baked at Allied Bakeries' Orpington plant in Kent have been subjected to bouts of sabotage. Just before Christmas the company reported further incidents to the FSA, which urged consumers to be vigilant.

Over the past 18 months, the FSA has been working with the police to trace the culprit. Allied Bakeries believes that the objects, which have included glass and sewing needles, have been inserted into packaging after baking but police have so far been unable to discover whether the tampering is happening inside the factory or in the supply chain. Since the tampering began, police are believed to have tested the DNA of all 300 staff at the plant and the firm has introduced tamper-proof seals on packaging.

EU legislation

Since January 1, 2006, the food industry has been bombarded with more EU legislation than ever relating to food hygiene, microbiological criteria, feed hygiene and food and feed production, with the aim of harmonising and tightening EU food safety measures. The European Commission (EC) is currently consulting stakeholders on a review of its hygiene legislation.

And at the end of the year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced it was to review the safety of all approved food colouring additives in the EU in light of recent research. This followed a request by the EC after it emerged that some food safety data was not considered before approval.

The review will move on to other additives once complete, but selected colourings because they were the first food additives category approved under current EU regulation. Updated information on commonly used colourings will shortly be released. Altogether 45 colourings will be reviewed over the coming months.

At the same time, the food industry is examining the final approved draft of the EU's Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (Reach) regulation.

The new rules are due to pass into law in June 2007 and, although they will phased in over 11 years, food manufacturers have already voiced concern about their eventual cost and impact. Principally, concerns have been raised about the rules' shifting of the burden of evidence away from regulators and on to manufacturers, which will have to prove safety.

Not only will this apply to new substances but it will be applied retrospectively to thousands of chemicals not previously regulated by the EU.

Manufacturers will also be required to maintain permanent records of all chemicals they use and what they are used for.

Although the food and drink industry remains exempt from some requirements, many believe it will still face substantial changes to working practices. A spokesman for the Food and Drink Federation says: "The impact of the regulation on firms will be substantial and will revolutionise the way in which a huge variety of substances are managed by companies. It also extends far beyond the traditional chemicals sector to many businesses, including small firms, that haven't traditionally thought of themselves as handling chemical substances."

So what food safety issues could rise to prominence over the next 12 months?

Minimally-heated chilled foods are popular with consumers, with sales continuing to increase by around 10% a year. Their main microbiological hazard is non-proteolytic Clostridium botulism and in some quarters there is concern that this may become an emerging issue. Professor Mike Peck of the Institute of Food Research says: "A considerable amount of research and development over the past 15 years has underpinned the safe production of commercial, minimally heated chilled food with respect to foodborne botulism and it is essential that these foods continue to be developed safely.

"In particular the desire to use lighter heat processes and a longer shelf-life presents a challenge that will only be met by significant developments in quantitative microbiological food safety." Foodborne botulism is caused by consumption of preformed botulinum neurotoxin. As little as 30ng of neurotoxin is potentially lethal.

Reduced fats, sugars and salt

Tackling one problem or issue can often result in a new set of risks. For example, the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food recently published a review of the microbiological risks associated with reductions in fats and added sugars in food. It concluded that changing the levels of fat and sugars is likely to change water activity.

For many foods the maintenance of a low water activity is essential to safety and stability. Any increase in water activity could increase the risks of microbiological spoilage or food poisoning. In order to maintain the safety of reduced fat the levels of other preservative factors, such as acidity, or level of chemical preservatives may have to be increased. Where this is not desired it could lead to shelf-life being reduced to maintain product safety.

For products such as cakes, muffins, savoury pastries, frankfurters and cheese spreads it is likely that reducing fats and sugars would be sufficient to increase the risks of microbiological growth by either food spoilage organisms or food pathogens.

Over the years, Salmonella, Listeria, BSE, E-coli and food and mouth disease have been implicated in food scares and pesticide residue is cited as a cause of concern for consumers.

However, EFSA's recent infectious diseases report revealed that infections of campylobacteriosis, normally carried by poultry meat, had overtaken Salmonella as the most common cause of food poisoning. It has an incidence rate of 51.6 cases per 100,000 people, with a total of 197,363 recorded cases; Salmonella infections, meanwhile, have fallen by 9.5% to an incidence rate of 38.2 per 100,000 with 176,395 recorded cases - as biosecurity measures and poultry vaccination programmes take effect.

The latest advance in bacteria detection is from the US, where researchers at Purdue University claim to have developed a system to identify bacteria rapidly and cheaply. The technique, called desorption electrospray ionisation or Desi, reduces 'fingerprinting' time from hours to minutes.

"This is the first time we've been able to chemically analyse and accurately identify the type of bacteria using a mass spectrometer without any prior pre-treatment within a matter of seconds," said professor Graham Cooks of Purdue University.

The technique can detect a billionth of a gram of E. coli and Salmonella, among other potentially fatal bacteria, and is being developed for the market by Prosolia Incorporated.

Former FSA head Sir John Krebs recently called for the government to admit that no food can ever claim to be 100% safe. He says: "The concept of zero risk is unobtainable. The question is what level of risk is safe enough."

Who is brave enough to put their head above the parapet and provide the answer? FM

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