The Shocking Truth About Food Safety

Why Extra Environmental Health Resources are Vital for Food Safety: Unveiling the Hidden Dangers in Our Food System

The safety of food served in restaurants, cafes, and other food establishments is essential to protecting public health. However, recent data shows that funding cuts to local authorities in the UK have resulted in a decline in the number of food safety inspections carried out on high-risk food business operators (FBOs).

In 2020, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported that..

the number of food safety inspections carried out on high-risk FBOs had dropped by 11% compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, a report that came out earlier this year by the FSA, states that a scant 10,000 FBOs had been inspected from 2021-2022.

This is a concerning trend, particularly as foodborne illnesses can have serious health consequences, with an estimated 2.4 million cases occurring in the UK each year. In this context, the availability of funding for local authorities plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of the food supply chain.

Another shocking revelation from recent studies and accompanying models that have uncovered some disturbing statistics. According to reliable sources, an estimated 380,000 cases of Norovirus linked to food occur in the UK every year. This alarming number suggests a severe public health risk that demands immediate attention from authorities and citizens alike.

Further investigation reveals a breakdown of the roles played by various transmission pathways in food. It has been determined that eating out accounts for an estimated 37% of all foodborne Norovirus cases, with takeaways following closely at 26%.

Retail sale of open-headed lettuce is also a significant contributor at 30%, with raspberries at 4% and oysters at 3%. This new information raises substantial concerns over the safety and regulation of food production and distribution in the UK, requiring swift and decisive action to address the issue.

Source: Food Standard Agency

Our own Principal Consultant, Ricky Sharpe has unfortunately been a victim of such poor standards in uninspected FBOs. Here's what he had to say from first-hand experience..

"What people don't realise is that issues with the safety of our food can strike us at the most unforeseeable time. I had food poisoning once, from a large well known restaurant chain and let me tell you it wasn't fun!”

He also added..

“In my career, there have been many stories and shocking cases. One most notable story I have heard recently was when a food safety officer inspecting a food establishment had so many inconceivable issues it had to shut down immediately.”

As a growing number of high-risk FBOs continue to operate, combined with a despairing amount of funding and resources available for local councils, there is perturbation amongst environmental health officials of the CIEH.

Here is what Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA said regarding the local authority plan that unfortunately missed the mark..

“It was designed to achieve a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity and clear the backlog of food inspections by April 2023”

Source: CIEH

Anyone who hasn’t been sleeping under a rock will be well aware of the austerity we, the UK are currently experiencing. Whilst it’s child's play to simply cry for extra funding, the reality isn’t that rudimentary and only exacerbates the already jaded local authorities.

It’s fair to say that the numbers speak for themselves, with over 50,000 FBOs still awaiting inspections as of March 2022. This facet of environmental health is unequivocally, and criminally underfunded. If our government doesn’t get a grip on this issue, serious ramifications may ensue.

The decline in food safety inspections on high-risk FBOs due to funding cuts is a ticking time bomb for public health. Will the UK government finally take action and allocate the necessary funds to ensure the safety of the food supply chain, or will we continue to risk the health and well-being of millions of people?

Authors

Ricky Sharpe?~ Principal Consultant, Lead of the Commercial Division

Carl Steptowe?~?Digital Marketing Executive

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