Food Poisoning
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency indicating high levels of Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in England; and what steps are being taken to reduce incidence rates.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) actively monitors and assesses the latest data on levels of foodborne disease (FBD) to determine whether action may be needed to protect public health.
Controlling FBD is a strategic priority for the FSA to protect consumers. Last year the FSA’s assessment of data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that its threshold levels for Salmonella and Campylobacter were breached. An update on the FSA’s analysis and response to the breaches can be found at the following link:
https://www.food.gov.uk/board-papers/foodborne-disease-update
There are several hypotheses for the increases in cases of Campylobacter and Salmonella. At this stage, potential causes are uncertain, but the increases are likely to be due to multiple, interdependent drivers.
The FSA is working collaboratively with partners across the Government to understand these drivers. The latest data published by the UKHSA will inform the analysis of the current hypotheses and help identify actions that could bring about the reduction of foodborne disease.
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