The FSA Board has welcomed a report which presents new comprehensive estimates of the societal burden caused by foodborne illnesses in the UK.
The outcome of an extensive programme of work conducted over a five-year period was scrutinised by Members at the FSA Board Meeting, and provides a more in depth understanding of the wider impacts of foodborne diseases such as norovirus, campylobacter and listeria.
For the first time, the study also incorporates estimates based on the impacts of foodborne illness cases where a specific pathogen is not identified, often as a result of people not seeking medical attention.
The new model which produced the estimates follows an established process used in the UK and internationally to assess the financial impacts and the ‘human costs’ such as pain grief and suffering and changes to quality and length of life.
Estimates for these ‘human costs’ were developed in part by surveying more than 4,000 people to produce monetised values to measure the impact of different foodborne pathogens.
This will allow for these intangible human impacts to be considered alongside financial impacts when decisions relating to foodborne illnesses are made.
The model shows that for 2018:
The Board welcomed the work and the report’s findings which provides the FSA with a more robust and comprehensive awareness of the impact of all foodborne illnesses and an additional tool to direct future decisions on prevention.
Heather Hancock, Chair of The Food Standards Agency said:
“I welcome this vital new research. Being able to put a cost on the personal, social and economic burden when someone becomes ill as a result of food, represents a milestone for the FSA.
“We will use this new analysis of the cost of illness, and how it varies between different germs, to help set our priorities for tackling foodborne illness and to focus the FSA’s expertise, money and influence.”
Professor Rick Mumford, Head of Science Evidence and Research at the Food Standards Agency said:
“For the first time this model gives the FSA and other partners a much more detailed picture of how foodborne illnesses can impact society.
“We have designed it from the ground up to measure the impacts of specific pathogens as well as for the first time providing an estimate of the majority of cases where no pathogen is attributed.
“As a result, we are now equipped with robust, quantitative evidence on the impact of foodborne disease which significantly strengthens our decision-making ability.”
Richard Smith, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Health Economics at the University of Exeter said:
“Providing an understanding of the impact of foodborne disease on individuals and wider society is a critical building block to understanding where and how to best deal with it.
“The FSA has a rich history of developing such analyses, and this latest work builds on that with significant revisions and updates to provide the most robust values yet of the societal impact of foodborne disease.
“This provides a robust, powerful and flexible tool to assist FSA in determining its priorities for tackling foodborne disease, which remains a serious challenge for our society.”
FSA economists worked with academics from leading UK universities to develop the Cost of Illness (COI) model to identify and measure all the costs of a particular disease.
The model is loosely based on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s Cost to Britain model (Opens in a new window)which estimates the annual cost of workplace fatalities, self-reported injuries and ill health at £15bn.
This new model was quality assured internally and externally by independent experts and represents a significant improvement from the previous, much simpler model used to estimate the burden of foodborne illness. Further work is currently ongoing to apply these methodologies to other areas, including food allergy and hypersensitivity.
The Burden of Foodborne Disease in the UK 2018 Report
Comparisons to previous estimates is not possible as this is the first time that the FSA have estimated the total burden of foodborne illness.
This estimate is therefore inevitably greater than the estimates for identifiable cases alone for the following reasons:
Posted in Campylobacter, food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Food Virus, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Uncategorized, Virus
LARKANA: As many as 168 people were brought to the hospital suffering from food poisoning on Saturday, said Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) medical superintendent Dr Syed Ershad Hussain Kazmi. Two adult patients were in critical condition.
According to Dr Kazmi, the patients brought to the hospital had apparently consumed contaminated food, consisting of chapatti and chicken karahi, at a ceremony in Rahim Bughio village.
According to the hospital management, 22 affected children had been admitted for treatment. Besides, 86 adults were brought to the CMCH casualty department. Out of them, over 25 were discharged while 20 others were admitted.
Ottawa, March 6, 2020 – The food recall warning issued on February 28, 2020 has been updated to include additional distribution and product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
Save-On-Foods is recalling certain O/W Ahi Tuna products from the marketplace due to elevated levels of histamine. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
| Brand | Product | Size | UPC | Codes | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricesmart | O/W Ahi Tuna | Variable | Starts with 226248 | All units sold from September 18, 2019 to November 6, 2019, inclusive | Sold at Pricesmart stores in British Columbia |
| Save on Foods | O/W Ahi Tuna | Variable | Starts with 226248 | All units sold from November 7, 2019 to February 28, 2020, inclusive | Sold at Pricesmart stores in British Columbia |
| Urban Fare | O/W Ahi Tuna | Variable | Starts with 226248 | All units sold from September 18, 2019 to February 28, 2020, inclusive | Sold at Urban Fare stores in Alberta and British Columbia |
If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
Check to see if you have the recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Food contaminated with high levels of histamine may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Histamines are not destroyed by cooking. High levels of histamine in fish can cause an allergic-type reaction known as scombroid poisoning. Symptoms can include burning throat, diarrhea, dizziness, facial swelling, headache, vomiting and peppery taste in mouth.
This recall was triggered by consumer complaints. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.
The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.
There have been no reported reactions associated with the consumption of these products. However, there were reported reactions associated with the products included in the Food Recall Warning on February 25, 2020.
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Posted in CFIA, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Histamine, Scombroid, scombroid poisoning, Uncategorized
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 38.1; Tot. = 42.2 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from the United States in Norway
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 6.4) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 8.1; Tot. = 10 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts from Brazil in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.9; Tot. = 4.9 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched groundnut kernels from China in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 20; Tot. = 20 µg/kg – ppb) in capsicum from Sri Lanka in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 13.7; Tot. = 14.0 mg/kg – ppm) in dried red chillies from India in the UK
RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = 89.2 / Tot. = 82.4 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled groundnuts from Egypt in Italy
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 3.6; Tot. = 23. µg/kg – ppb) in date syrup from Tunisia in Belgium
RASFF – ochratoxin A (19.9 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Germany
RASFF – ochratoxin A (81.4 µg/kg – ppb) in dried currants from Greece, via Germany in Siwtzerland
RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (Stx1-, Stx2+, eae+, O103) in organic raw milk goat’s cheese from Belgium in Belgium
RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (stx1+ stx2+ eae+ /25g) in soft cheese from Italy in the Netherlands
RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (stx2a+ and stx2d+ /25g) in goat cheese with raw milk from France in Switzerland
Posted in eae, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, RASFF, STEC, STEC E.coli, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized
This summer, independent shellfish testing sites all over the state reported spikes in toxin levels, possibly related to the historic high temperatures in the water surrounding Alaska. And those warming waters are creating the ideal conditions for the algae that produce the toxin to propagate year-round, some researchers say.
Ottawa, February 28, 2020 – The food recall warning issued on February 25, 2020 has been updated to include additional distribution and product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
Industry is recalling various tuna products from the marketplace due to elevated levels of histamine. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
| Brand | Product | Size | UPC | Codes | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Sashimi Grade – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 0 245345 | All units sold from October 9, 2019 up to and including October 23, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 8683 10th Ave., Burnaby, BC |
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Sashimi Grade – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 0 245345 | All units sold from October 10, 2019 up to and including October 12, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 3493 Cambie St., Vancouver, BC |
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Sashimi Grade – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 0 245345 | All units sold from October 26, 2019 up to and including November 9, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 1888 West 57th Ave., Vancouver, BC |
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Frozen – Ocean Wise | Variable | Starts with 0 245516 | All units sold from October 9, 2019 up to and including October 23, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 8683 – 10th Ave., Burnaby, BC |
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Frozen – Ocean Wise | Variable | Starts with 0 245516 | All units sold from October 10, 2019 up to and including October 12, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 3493 Cambie St., Vancouver, BC |
| Choices Markets | Ahi Tuna Loin Steak Frozen – Ocean Wise | Variable | Starts with 0 245516 | All units sold from October 26, 2019 up to and including November 9, 2019 | Sold at Choices Market, 1888 West 57th Ave., Vancouver, BC |
| IGA | Ahi Tuna – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 200840 | All units sold from November 6, 2019 up to and including December 6, 2019 | Sold at IGA, 1940 Kane Rd., Kelowna, BC |
| IGA | Ahi Tuna – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 200840 | All units sold from September 28, 2019 up to and including December 17, 2019 | Sold at IGA, 2286 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC |
| IGA | Ahi Tuna – Previously Frozen | Variable | Starts with 200840 | All units sold from November 26, 2019 up to and including January 13, 2020 | Sold at IGA, 12887 Madeira Park Road, Madeira Park, BC |
| Save on Foods | O/W Ahi Tuna | Variable | Starts with 226248 | All units sold from September 18, 2019 up to and including February 28, 2020 | Sold at Save on Foods locations in AB, BC, MB, SK, and YT |
If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
Check to see if you have the recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Food contaminated with high levels of histamine may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Histamines are not destroyed by cooking. High levels of histamine in fish can cause an allergic-type reaction known as scombroid poisoning. Symptoms can include burning throat, diarrhea, dizziness, facial swelling, headache, vomiting and peppery taste in mouth.
This recall was triggered by consumer complaints. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.
The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.
There have been no reported reactions associated with the consumption of these products. However, there were reported reactions associated with the products included in the Food Recall Warning on February 25, 2020.
Printer ready version of photos
FoodWorld 