E. Coli Report Calls For Review of UK Food Safety Law
UK - Current UK regulation of the meat industry should be reviewed to determine whether changes are needed to prevent outbreaks of disease such as E. coli, according to a review report released on Monday.
13 September 2007
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E.coli
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The 83-page report by the Wales regulator makes nine recommendations, which were forwarded to Hugh Pennington, a scientist charged with holding a public inquiry into an outbreak of E coli in 2005 that killed a schoolchild and lead to 157 others falling sick.
The inquiry is due to begin in February 2008. The other recommendations relate to health and safety measures at schools and institutions.
The outbreak was traced back to cooked sliced meats supplied to 44 schools in Wales by John Tudor & Son, a manufacturer in Bridgend, South Wales. Principal and chief executive William John Tudor was sentenced by Cardiff Crown Court last Friday to a year in jail for seven offences relating to the fatal outbreak of E.coli O157.
Tudor had pleaded guilty to the offences. The report was released after the sentencing due to legal reasons.
The report found that an inspection on 19 September of the Tudor plant found a number of contraventions of food hygiene legislation and poor practices that may result in the cross contamination of cooked and raw meats.
According to evidence heard in court, a vacuum-packing machine at the Tudor plant was "wrongly used" for both raw and cooked meats. Evidence submitted before the court included the finding that juices from raw meat frequently got into the packer during the wrapping process.
Source: foodproductiondaily.com
