Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. Find out more about campylobacter and the risk management programme.
About campylobacter
Campylobacter is considered to be responsible for around 460,000 cases of food poisoning, 22,000 hospitalisations and 110 deaths each year and most of these cases come from poultry. Campylobacter is also found in red meat, unpasteurised milk and untreated water. Although it does not normally grow in food, it spreads easily and has a low infective dose so only a few bacteria in a piece of undercooked chicken, or bacteria transferred from raw chicken onto other ready-to-eat foods, can cause illness.
A survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency of campylobacter in chicken on retail sale in the UK between May 2007 and September 2008, reported that campylobacter was present in 65% of the fresh chicken samples tested. A European Union baseline survey carried out in 2008, and published by European Food Safety Authority in March 2010, showed the UK estimated prevalence for campylobacter in broiler batches (caecal contents) was 75.3% and 86.3% in broiler carcasses (skin samples). These results were above the weighted EU mean prevalences of 71.2% and 77% respectively. There was a wide range of campylobacter prevalence across members states varying from 4.9% to 100% in broiler carcasses and from 2% to 100% in broiler batches.
The findings from these surveys show that there are campylobacter-related challenges in our food-safety system. One of the main priorities for the FSA is to reduce foodborne diseases in the UK. This is reflected in the FSA’s Science and Evidence Strategy 2010-15 and the FSA's Strategy 2015, which state that foodborne disease will be reduced using a targeted approach, and that tackling campylobacter in chicken is a priority.
A survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency of campylobacter in chicken on retail sale in the UK between May 2007 and September 2008, reported that campylobacter was present in 65% of the fresh chicken samples tested. A European Union baseline survey carried out in 2008, and published by European Food Safety Authority in March 2010, showed the UK estimated prevalence for campylobacter in broiler batches (caecal contents) was 75.3% and 86.3% in broiler carcasses (skin samples). These results were above the weighted EU mean prevalences of 71.2% and 77% respectively. There was a wide range of campylobacter prevalence across members states varying from 4.9% to 100% in broiler carcasses and from 2% to 100% in broiler batches.
The findings from these surveys show that there are campylobacter-related challenges in our food-safety system. One of the main priorities for the FSA is to reduce foodborne diseases in the UK. This is reflected in the FSA’s Science and Evidence Strategy 2010-15 and the FSA's Strategy 2015, which state that foodborne disease will be reduced using a targeted approach, and that tackling campylobacter in chicken is a priority.
The risk management programme
A campylobacter risk management programme has been developed to reduce levels of campylobacter in chicken. The programme encompasses a range of projects targeted at different points across the food chain, from farm to fork.The FSA is working in partnership with the industry and Defra as part of a Joint Working Group on campylobacter. The working group is developing a Joint Action Plan, which will help identify and implement interventions that will reduce campylobacter. To contribute to this work the Agency is also funding new research in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Defra, the Northern Ireland Department for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Scottish Government, the research forms part of a joint strategy entitled: UK Research and Innovation Strategy for Campylobacter (UK RISC) in the food chain. More about the working group, the action plan and the FSA's research on campylobacter can be found at the links at the bottom of the page.
To measure progress on the effectiveness of the risk management programme, a joint government and industry target to ‘reduce campylobacter in UK produced chickens by 2015’ has been set.
read more at: Food Standards Agency UK
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