Foodborne pathogens such as norovirus, Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause approximately 2.4 million cases of disease in the UK population and impose an annual cost to society equivalent to £9.1 billion every year.
The overarching aim of this Area of Research Interest (ARI) is to empower the FSA to make policy decisions about microbiological foodborne disease based on the best evidence available.
We also commission external research to develop and refine tools and approaches, for example the development or optimisation of diagnostic tests or quantitative models. Research requirements are identified via an internal programme steering group and are informed by issues raised by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food and the FSA’s Foodborne Disease Policy Framework. Research outputs are used to inform risk assessments and technical advice, to inform policy decisions and to evaluate the performance of changes to policy.
Risk assessment on risk of dogs and cats acquiring infection from contaminated Raw Pet Food products and to owners from cross contamination.
In March 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release confirming that the RNA of a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) had been detected in dairy cattle herds that had been displaying milk drop and other clinical signs. In April 2024 the FDA confirmed that infectious virus (sometimes called bird flu) was present in raw milk, and a university research group claimed that RNA was detectable in pasteurised milk on retail sale.
This risk assessment was commissioned to assess the risk to vulnerable groups in the UK from blue cheese contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Blue cheese is defined as cheese internally ripened with Penicillium mould.
In 2018, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned UK Health Security Agency’s to provide a bespoke external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for the detection and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. from a simulated matrix representing uncooked chicken.
The microbiological team at the FSA has assessed the public health risk of raw oysters with a range of norovirus RNA levels, to assist with development of risk management options during outbreaks.
There has been no recent monitoring of microorganisms on sheep at slaughter in England and Wales, the last survey being 20 years ago. To address this evidence gap, the FSA has commissioned a survey to gather data on the prevalence and levels of pathogenic and commensal microorganisms contaminating lamb and sheep carcases as this will inform several areas of the FSA’s work.
The aim of this project is to address the lack of standardised methods for the detection of HEV in pork meat and pork products.
This risk profile will examine the current situation of Salmonella in UK-produced table eggs, and the factors that may influence the current risk of Salmonella in UK-produced eggs.
This report estimates the difference in risk of campylobacteriosis for products from low-throughput and high-throughput poultry slaughterhouses in the UK
A survey of health and social care setting food businesses on implementation of the FSA Listeriosis Guidance
This risk assessment considered three categories of vulnerable consumers; pregnant women, those aged over 65 and those who are considered immunocompromised due to a medical condition.
A study to measure the rate of inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the surface of various types of food and food packaging.
The FSA finalised a comprehensive critical review on the approaches to assess the infectivity of the HEV virus which is published [3] recommending that a cell culture based method should be developed for use with food.
A risk assessment on allowing meat and offal to be provided to consumers without the normal chilling process during Qurbani.
This research project aims to estimate the burden and causes of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the UK population.
This study outlines the methodology and results of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) used by the Food Standards Agency to rank thirteen foodborne pathogens in order of their detrimental effect on UK society.
The current Food Standards Agency guidance states that consumers can freeze pre-packed food right up to the “use-by” date and, once food has been defrosted, it should be consumed within 24 hours. The microbiological team at the FSA has drafted a strategic review to understand whether there is an increased risk to freezing foods on the use-by date compared to the day before the use-by date. The review has focused on how the shelf-life of a food is determined and the effects of freezing, thawing and refrigeration on common foodborne pathogens.
This survey follows on from previous reports examining fresh, whole UK-produced chickens sold at non-major retailers. The survey again looks at prevalence and levels of campylobacter contamination and antimicrobial resistance on chicken neck skin.
This project will explore the survival of SARS-CoV-2 virus on the surfaces of various foods and food packaging materials at a range of temperatures, humidity levels and time periods representative of a retail environment.
This project assessed the significance of various interventions to reduce the microbiological load on beef in primary production identified in a previous literature review (FSA project FS301044).
This package of evidence was put together to support the NHS (England) Hospital Food Review Panel’s consideration of food safety as part of the “root and branch” review of the food provided in NHS facilities for patients, visitors and staff.
A systematic literature review of the different methodologies used to estimate foodborne infectious intestinal disease in different countries. This includes assessing whether comparisons of foodborne disease rates between countries using different approaches are possible.
This project performed a broad critical review of literature on interventions applied in a minced beef production chain for the reduction of bacterial load, with a focus on the pre-slaughter, slaughter, and post-slaughter production processes.