Recently the European Commission has adopted new rules on the safety of recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food with the aim to ensure that recycled plastic can be safely used in food packaging in the EU.

The Regulation, part of the Circular Economy Action Plan, will allow granting individual authorisations for more than 200 mechanical PET (polyethylene terephthalate) recycling processes, which will help the industry to meet the binding 2025 target of 25% recycled plastic in PET beverage bottles. In addition, the new Regulation will establish a public register of recycling processes, recyclers, and recycling installations under its scope, providing an increased level of transparency.

For more information, click here.

Public health officials in the UK are investigating an outbreak of E.coli 0157 that has seen 192 genetically linked cases of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) 0157 identified in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since the start of September.

Infections have been seen across all age groups but mostly in adults between the ages of 20-39. No deaths have been linked to the incident.

Investigations are currently underway to find the reason for the sharp rise in cases and patients are being interviewed to help identify the source.

Dr. Lesley Larkin, head of surveillance, gastrointestinal infections and food safety at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said a rise in E. coli cases notified to public health surveillance systems had been seen in recent weeks.

“The latest data shows early indications of a return back to expected levels for this time of year but we are continuing to closely monitor the situation. Whole genome sequencing shows us that this increase in reports is being driven by a particular strain of STEC 0157 which has caused an outbreak, and we are investigating potential causes with public health and food safety experts in the UK and Ireland,” she said.

“Making sure you wash your hands with soap and water is the best way to stop this bug from spreading. When preparing food make sure you thoroughly wash salad, fruit and vegetables and follow all the safe cooking instructions for meat.”

 

 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Chief Executive, Emily Miles, reflected on the potential impact of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, introduced to Parliament, during her report to the Board last week.

The Bill aims to end the special status of all EU-derived legislation by the end of December 2023, at which point any remaining retained laws will either be repealed or assimilated in UK domestic law.

Emily estimated that the FSA is responsible for over 100 pieces of legislation related to food hygiene and safety, in addition to over 30 pieces of legislation relating to food composition and labelling for which the FSA has responsibility in Wales. She added there is significant pressure to do that work as soon as possible but noted there would inevitably be a ‘trade off’ between speed and reform.

In her response to this, FSA Chair Susan Jebb said:

“It’s clear we cannot simply sunset the laws for which we are responsible without risking both public health and our ability to trade internationally, and I’m sure this is not the government’s intention with these plans. It’s also important for us to remember that individual pieces of law are intertwined in a complex system which links to legislation held by other government departments.

“I am keen to consider whether we can create a new Food and Feed Bill to replace much of the EU Law. I will prioritise engaging with Ministers to discuss our pre-existing plans for reform and how they may be incorporated as part of this process and much of this will depend on their appetite for speed versus reform. I am also very conscious of our responsibilities to the devolved governments, and I will be looking to meet with them too.

“I hope the Executive team will work with stakeholders from both industry and consumer groups to understand their priorities so that by the December Board meeting, we will be in a better position to discuss the way we will approach this huge change in legislation whilst remaining fully committed to ensuring that food is safe and what it says it is.”

 

The British regulatory system has improved over the years, especially with the enforcement of ‘Natasha’s Law’, which marked it’s one year anniversary last week. However, the inquest into the death of Celia Marsh has determined that she died in 2017 from eating a Pret a Manger vegan flatbread made with coconut yogurt that was contaminated with dairy, which she was highly allergic too,

The coroner overseeing Marsh’s inquest suggested that there is still a long way to go if more allergen related deaths are to be prevented in the future. “Allergy sufferers should not have to gamble with their lives every time they eat outside the house,” says Gareth Gower, Marsh’s brother. “Celia’s death should be a driver for change.”

In the UK alone, 152 people died from food-induced anaphylaxis in the past 20 years, according to BMJ research in 2021. The sad reality is, every single one of those deaths was preventable.

The flatbread that killed Marsh was labelled as Vegan, yet it’s been established that neither Planet Coconut, who make the yogurt for the flatbread, or Pret a Manger, who sold the flatbread, had tested the product to determine if the ‘Vegan’ claim was viable. The coroner, Maria Voisin, asked if there should be a system of obligatory testing for all ingredients in a supply chain when making claims such as dairy free or other free-from claims. Systems do already exist for this type of testing, such as the ‘VITAL’ programme for allergen testing which is widely used in Australia. However, public analyst, Nigel Payne, told the inquest that VITAL was not developed to address the appropriateness of a free-from claim.

With obligatory testing based on sound science, supermarkets and manufacturers could establish good knowledge of the risk attached to their products and allergen sufferers could eat with confidence, knowing that physical testing had been done on that product and therefore they can eat with the security that their health, or even life, should not be danger.

Without the testing, food companies tend to rely more heavily on precautionary allergen labelling, which is set in good faith to highlight the risk of cross-contamination, yet it can leave allergen sufferers, and in Marsh’s case, her family, very frustrated with the vague labelling.

Codex (the organisation that develops global food standards) is expected to publish a review of thresholds in the coming months which the FSA will review in full which it’s director of policy, Rebecca Sudworth, confirmed, so improvements may be coming!

The FSA held their latest board meeting on 26^th September, where they updated the board members on the work of the Achieving Business Compliance (ABC) programme, which is modernising how local authorities check and inspect food businesses.

The Board endorsed the decision to consult on changes which would introduce a more proportionate, intelligence-driven model for local authorities to check businesses are following rules so that food is what it says it is. They also heard about a project to reform the way in which local authorities check businesses’ food hygiene standards.

The Board was updated on a new pilot involving five large retailers and their primary authorities to trial a new approach to regulation at an enterprise level.

Work currently being undertaken with three major online delivery platforms (Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat) to develop a Food Safety Charter was also noted by the Board.