The Need for Food Hygiene - Essay Example

The need for food hygiene - Introduction The importance of food hygiene was known to human society since the beginning of human civilization. As humanity progressed, technologically as well as socially, through the ages, so did the health, food and hygiene standards. The various nutritional substances that we introduce to organism have been placed under scrutiny by the strict scientific eye. Although the advanced scientific methods are sufficiently capable to detect and eliminate non-hygienic food and to prevent the diseases that represent a certain side effect, outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases do occur, with sometimes, tragic concrescences. Such events are attributed to the lack of an effective social policy, and governments have made numerous attempts to solve this problem. Two such events that played a large role in reexamining the social policies are the outbreaks of E. Coli O157 that caused food poisoning in Wishaw, Scotland in November 1996 and in South Wales in September 2005. - The 1996 Wishaw, Scotland food poisoning The outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 as a result of food poisoning in Wishaw, Scotland occurred on Friday, 22nd November, 1996, when the Public Health Department of Lanarkshire Health Board identified 15 cases where patients were infected with Escherihia coli. Histories were taken from 9 patients and it was concluded that the patients consumed food that was bought from "J. Barr and Son", a butcher shop in Wishaw. Further examination by the Health board showed that around 85 different outlets and stores were supplied by Mr. Barr's butcher shop, all located throughout the central belt of Scotland. The O157 strain of Escherichia coli was discovered in the meat from the outlets, but sadly, cases of infection already started to appear in Forth Valley, Lothian and Greater Glasgow. After the causative factors were identified and the cases were well documented, effective control measures were applied. Declared over on 20 January 1997, this outbreak took 22 lives and 512 cases were identified. In April 1997, the Pennington group created a report that was concerned with the latter outbreak of Escherichia Coli O157 as a result of food poisoning. - The 2005 South Wales food poisoning The Escherichia Coli O157 outbreak caused by food poisoning in the south of Wales began on Saturday, September 10th, 2005 when the first cases of E.coli were reported, detected in a local school. By Friday, the 16th of September 2005, the National Public Health Service for Wales is notified of the cases and declares an outbreak. On September 21st, 56 cases have been reported in 25 schools and the outbreak was linked with a Bridgend food supplier "John Tudor and Son" and the cooked meat that he provided, rather than with unsanitary school conditions. On Tuesday, 20th of October, health officials declare that the outbreak is over. In all, there were 157 confirmed cases of food poisoning and 1 fatality. As a result, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales produced a report (CMOW, 2005), which stated recommendations concerning the safety regulations in providing healthy food for the population. Besides being on the territory of Great Britain and being in a relatively short interval, one being in 1996 and the other in 2005, there are other similarities between these 2 outbreaks. Both of these outbreaks were as a result of inappropriate food hygiene, which caused an outbreak of Escherichia Coli O157, which, together with salmonella represents one of the most widespread progenitors of gastrointestinal diseases. Both were caused by cooked or uncooked meat, which was not properly examined. Because of the nature of the disease, it was difficult in both cases to effectively eliminate the outbreak since the moment of its discovery. Possibly, the most important characteristic is that it caused the government to call for explanation and analysis by health professionals and to examine its social policies (Pennington, 2000) The Pennington group report and the CMOW report on effective measures in preventing food poisoning The Pennington group report and the CMOW report both made important recommendations concerning food safety standards and social policies. The Pennington group report, created in 1997 after the 1996 central Scotland outbreak of Escherichia Coli, is an extensive report which focuses on various concepts related to preventing future food poisonings, resulting from bacterial infections. Their primary focus is, however, turned towards the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system, to which they have given much consideration. It is defined as a "system which identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards which are significant for food safety" (WHO, 1997). This system consists of 7 basic principles: 1. conducting a hazard analysis; 2. determining the Critical Control Points (CCPs); 3. Establishing critical limit(s); 4. Establishing a system to monitor control of the CCP; 5. Establishing the corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control; 6. Establishing procedures for verification to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively; and 7. Establishing documentation concerning all procedures and records appropriate to these principles and their application (WHO, 1997). "There is a particular need to raise the level of awareness of, and expertise in tackling, the hazards involved in food handling and production" and that they believe that "HACCP should underpin the approach to food safety at all stages of the food chain"(The Pennington group, 1997, chapter 4). The group stated that the current legislation does not require the implementation of HACCP, and therefore a new legislation is required. The Pennington group also states that until the new legislation is implemented, there are several "measures that are needed to reinforce existing legislation, to strengthen the impetus on implementation and enforcement of HACCP principles" (The Pennington group, 1997, chapter 4). Some of these measures include more selective licensing, separation of raw and cooked foods in target premises and better targeting of Environmental Health Departments' resources, which would include more frequent inspections of high-risk premises. It also includes revision and improvement of the risk assessment section of the Codes of Practice for Food safety, revising the definition of the health risk condition contained in Section 11 of the Food Safety Act 1990, which would allow food inspectors to have greater freedom of initiative if they have a reasonable doubt to believe that food safety standards are violated. The Pennington Group also recommends that the HACCP system should be implemented with more initiative in high-risk premises. According to the Pennington report the Environmental Health Officers (EHO) play a crucial role in its implementation, for several reasons, such as their experience and expertise, as well as their authority to evaluate the whether or not the implemented HACCP system by the local businesses is appropriate. This responsibility, however, does not fall only on the shoulders of the EHO, but also on the businesses that sell the meat products. Moreover, the Pennington report (1997, chapter 9) also gives strong recommendations concerning government involvement in implementing the HACCP system. These recommendations include giving a clear policy that explains the need for the enforcement of food safety measures and the accelerated implementation of HACCP, providing finances to local authorities for training new EHO and for awareness programs, and that the local authorities should designate an experienced and capable environmental health officer to head the food safety in the particular region (The Pennington report, 1997, chapter 9). The CMOW report focuses less on the HACCP system, but still managed to highlight its importance and to make considerably good recommendations. The recommendations of the CMOW report are focused towards 5 different sectors responsible for people's health: the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the local authorities, the Outbreak Control Team, the Wales centre for health and the Welsh Assembly Government. Its recommendations for the Food Standards Agency are mainly focused towards their already existing duty in performing inspections of food products and effectively informing the government. The FSA should also "provide an assurance to the Minister for Health and Social Services that guidance and practice in respect of butchers' premises, both now and in the future, reflect the importance of a fully implemented HACCP system as an integral part of a good food safety management system and not as an end in itself" (CMOW report, 2005). It is in this recommendation that the CMOW emphasises the importance of the HACCP system in providing food safety for the population in Wales. The recommendations to local authorities are mainly focused towards implementing the latest EU Food Hygiene Regulations and to act more efficiently as coordinators in preventing and eliminating outbreaks that are the end result of improper food hygiene. Since the outbreak in southern Wales happened in schools, it is emphasised that the "local Authorities should invite school governing bodies to review their regimes for cleaning school premises and in particular for the provision and operation of sanitary facilities for pupils, any such review should consider access by pupils to toilet paper and soap and hot water." (CMOW report, 2005) Concerning the Outbreak control team, they are simply mentioned as a link in the government's systems in order to prevent the spread of the outbreaks. There aren't specific recommendations, except for advices in logistical improvements. The Wales centre of health and the Welsh Assembly Government are also briefly mentioned as main coordinators in the effort to prevent outbreaks of diseases as a result of improper food hygiene. It is simply recommended to improve themselves in the already well-defined purposes. Both the Pennington group and the CMOW report emphasise the importance of the HACCP system. Considering the fact that the World Health Organization recommends this system, the HACCP system is currently the most effective method in preventing further outbreaks. As we have seen, both reports are aware that the social policies lack the legislative system necessary to effectively implement the HACCP system. Nevertheless, these reports represent a firm basis for an effective implementation of the system. In the end, however, the most effective system is the system that encompasses good social policies, legislation and the support of local, as well as the international food manufactures (The Pennington Report, 1997, chapter 9). A, B, c, d, e ,f ,g ,h ,I ,j ,k ,L, m,n o, p q ,r ,s ,t u,v ,w ,x ,y, z References: 1. Christopher, P. (1997); Was the E. coli 157 outbreak predictable; Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgidb=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=9050292&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_DocSum; [Accessed 01 March, 2007] 2. Cowden, J. M., Ahmed S., Donaghy M., Riley A. (1996); Epidemiological investigation of the Central Scotland outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 infection;Cambridge http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstractfromPage=online&aid=80692; [Accessed 01 March, 2007] 3. 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Welsh Assembly Government (2005); Chief Medical Officer of Wales Report; Cardiff; Available at: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/e-coli-e.pdf; [Accessed 01 March, 2007] Read More