'No complacency' over poison cases

Fall in number of salmonella and camylobacter cases

A food safety expert has warned against complacency despite a fall in the number of food poisoning cases in the United Kingdom.

Professor Hugh Pennington, of Aberdeen University, welcomed the first fall in the number of cases for 15 years but called for continuing efforts in promoting standards of hygiene and supporting research.

The fall in figures for last year was largely due to a dramatic decline in the number of cases of salmonella, the Food and Drink Federation said as National Food Safety week got under way.

We are making great strides in tackling salmonella, but there is a long way to go

Prof Pennington

Campylobacter cases also dropped by several thousand while listeria cases had remained static, according to the results.

However the number of gastroenteritis cases caused by viruses has increased.

Microbiologist Prof Pennington said: "This is welcome news - but does not give us grounds for complacency.

"We are making great strides in tackling salmonella, but there is a long way to go.

"Importantly, these figures refer only to the reported cases, for each case of salmonella reported, over three go unreported and for each case of campylobacter, around eight go unreported."

Hugh Pennington: Education is the key

Prof Pennington said the rise in the number of viral cases was "potentially disturbing".

He said: "For each reported case there are estimated to be a staggering 1,500 unreported cases.

"Many of these cases are preventable. We must get the message across that under no circumstances should people suffering from sickness and diarrhoea prepare food. Education is the key."

Westminster Health Minister, Gisela Stuart, said: "The decline in reported cases of food poisoning is encouraging, particularly as it is backed up by the more reliable information from laboratory reporting.

"The aim of National Food Safety Week is to help raise awareness of the importance of food hygiene and demonstrate that we all have a part to play in reducing cases of food poisoning.

"We recently set up the independent Food Standards Agency to ensure that everyone has access to impartial information on food safety."

Concern over some chefs' comments

Michael Mackenzie, director general of the Food and Drink Federation - the organisers of National Food Safety Week - said: "The foodlink campaign receives tremendous support from our partners - environmental health officers, trading standards officers, schools, the government and the new Food Standards Agency.

"It is very effective at spreading advice about good food hygiene practice, however there is clearly still an awful lot of work to be done throughout the food chain.

"It is, however, extremely frustrating to witness the recent spate of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs making easy headline grabbing - high profile pronouncements that dirt is healthy.

"This sort of nonsense represents a return to a non-existent Arcadian age of food production and domestic simplicity. It never existed.

"People died as a result of poor hygiene then, and they can still do so now.

"This sort of activity undermines years of effort and is totally irresponsible. If these are the standards in their restaurants I, for one, certainly wouldn't eat there."