Ireland launches new horse meat tests as part of EU-wide strategy

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Douglas Powell

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has begun a fresh round of DNA testing of beef products as part of an EU-wide plan to prevent horse meat adulteration.

Some 50 samples of burgers, ready meals and other beef products will be checked for horse meat DNA and the results published soon after.

The European Commission said it would publish all results from member states before the end of July.

 Testing frenzy  In January of last year the FSAI discovered horse meat in beef burgers manufactured here, sparking an EU-wide frenzy of testing which affected most of the continent.

The European Commission then directed EU member states to carry out more than 7,000 tests to detect the presence of equine DNA and veterinary drug phenylbutazone.

Overall, less than 5 per cent of the tested products contained horse DNA and Ireland was one of only five countries where no beef products tested positive for horse DNA. France found more cases of horse meat in beef products, followed by Greece.

About 0.5 per cent of the equine carcasses tested were found to be contaminated with phenylbutazone, or bute. This is an anti-inflammatory painkiller which can be dangerous to humans if ingested in large doses.

In the Irish tests, one sample out of 840 had traces of bute.

As well as conducting the EU tests for horse meat, the UK’s Food Standards Agency is also testing lamb dishes from takeaways following evidence that cheaper meats such as beef, chicken and turkey were being used in lamb dishes.   Not lamb takeaway Its review of local authority sampling data, from July to December last year found that 43 out of 145 samples of lamb takeaway meals contained meat other than lamb.

And it was all avoidable: seven businesses in Ireland closed over food hygiene

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Seven food businesses were closed across the country last month for breaches of food safety legislation, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has confirmed.

Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, stated that there is absolutely no excuse for food businesses to put consumers’ health at risk through negligent practices.

“While most food businesses follow high standards and are compliant with food safety legislation, we continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is jeopardised through a failure to comply with food safety and hygiene requirements. These breaches are avoidable,” he said.

One restaurant and a take-away were served with closure orders under Irish legislation in March while three restaurants, a take-away and a butcher were served with closure orders under European regulations. In addition, one fish processor was served with a prohibition order by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.

Closure orders are issued if it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health or where an improvement order has not been complied with.

Food safety breaches worse than ever in Irish restaurants

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Douglas Powell

This year has proven the worst ever for food safety breaches, with a record 118 businesses receiving closure orders. These are only issued when there is deemed likely to be a “grave and immediate danger to public health”.

This year’s grim tally is up 30 per cent on the 2012 closure rate and there are now four times as many closures as there were in 2006.

However, in the vast majority of cases, the orders were lifted within days or weeks, showing that major structural changes were not required to comply with food safety requirements.

FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly warned this month that health inspectors would continue to operate a zero-tolerance policy to food safety breaches, with extra vigilance needed during the busy Christmas period when increased volumes of food were being supplied.

Good on ya, Alan: horsemeat in food chain ‘for three years’

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Douglas Powell

Horsemeat in the food chain could have been passed off as beef for three years, the country’s food safety watchdog has said.

Alan Reilly of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said he suspects the rogue product may have been in beef for years.

The first definitive test showing horsemeat contamination only came in April last year, but Prof Reilly insisted the problem was right under the noses of Europe’s food safety watchdogs.

Prof Reilly said the authority had been using DNA testing on meat since 2005, but decided seven years later to see if people were “cheating” by passing off horsemeat for more expensive cuts.

He admitted he had “lost some sleep” after one burger was found to contain 29% horsemeat.

The FSAI boss revealed the decision to go public on the fraud was very difficult.

He added: “The Irish media attacked us for going public, but what we uncovered was a massive international fraud.”

Prof Reilly said the scandal has removed trust from buyers but he cannot see the situation happening again.

He added: “The industry norm now is to buy nothing on trust and to test it. So I couldn’t see it happening again.”

The FSAI tested several blocks of frozen meat used for burgers.

Prof Reilly said in one case a block labelled as Polish beef trim contained “horsemeat with an Irish stamp and a micro-chip for a Polish horse.”

‘No excuse for negligent practices’ seven Ireland food businesses served closure orders in September

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Douglas Powell

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that seven closure orders were served on food businesses during the month of September for breaches of food safety legislation. The orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive.

Three closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
• Davak Superstores (grocery), 17 Bolton Street, Drogheda, Louth
• 10 Thousand Restaurant, 39 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
• Tasty Grill (restaurant), 39 Richmond Street South, Dublin 2

Four closure orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:
• The Morning Star Food Hall (grocery) (Closed area: Store area only), Townparks, Commons Road, Navan, Co. Meath
• Utterly Nutty (bakery/confectionery), Bakery Mews, Kenmare, Kerry
• Tralee Central Hotel, Maine Street, Tralee, Kerry
• Planet Spice (restaurant), 51 Church Street, Tullamore, Offaly

Also during the month, successful prosecutions were brought against:
A1 Cafe Limited, Cafe India, Patrick’s Court, Patrick Street, Tullamore, Offaly
Mr John Muldowney, The Old Bank House Restaurant, 17 Main Street, Portlaoise, Laois

Commenting on these latest closure orders, Prof. Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI, stated that vigilance is always required in relation to food safety and that standards must not be permitted to slip to such levels that consumer health is put at risk.

“While most food businesses are committed to high standards for the health of their customers, this is not always the case. We’re urging food businesses to make sure that they have a food safety management system in place and that it is consulted on a regular basis and updated, where necessary, to ensure non-compliance issues and breaches of food safety legislation don’t occur. There is absolutely no excuse for negligent practices.”

Ireland: minced beef and burgers should be thoroughly cooked

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Douglas Powell

Consumers and caterers should thoroughly cook minced beef and beef burgers before eating because they may contain harmful bacteria. A recently published Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) survey reports that Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) and Salmonella were found in samples of raw minced beef and beef burgers collected from retail shops and catering establishments in Ireland.

This survey, detected:

1. VTEC in 2.5% (10/402) of samples tested using a non-serogroup specific PCR test for VTEC

2. E. coli O157 in 0.2% (2/983) samples tested specifically for E. coli O157, and

3. Salmonella Dublin in 0.1% (1/983) of the samples tested for Salmonella.

Although all the beef tested in this survey was intended to be cooked before eating, the presence of these pathogens could potentially cause human illness, either through undercooking or cross-contamination.

Cattle carry harmful bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria are also shed in faeces and can be present on the animal hide. Although strict hygiene procedures are used during slaughter, the animal’s carcase can – and does – become contaminated with these bacteria. When the carcase is then divided into the various cuts of meat, the contamination is transferred to the outside surfaces of those cuts of meat.

Cook thoroughly

When meat is minced, bacteria that are on the surface of the meat become mixed throughout the mince, and this is why minced meat and beef burgers should be cooked thoroughly, but steaks or whole joints of beef may be eaten rare. Cooking minced beef and beef burgers to a core temperature of 75°C or equivalent (e.g. 70°C for two minutes) is recommended.

This FSAI survey found that minced beef and beef burgers were stored at temperatures greater than 5C in some retail or catering establishments. This included three samples in which VTEC were detected. While temperature abuse does not cause minced beef or beef burgers to become contaminated with pathogens, it does increase the risk to health as it may allow the number of pathogens present to increase. In catering and retail establishments, and in the home, raw meat should be stored at a temperature of 5oC or less in order to prevent or slow down the growth of any pathogens that may be present.

Testing for VTEC

The E. coli O157 test is the most common test used by laboratories to test food for VTEC. But the O157 test will not pick up any other VTEC that may be present in the food. When some of the samples taken for the FSAI’s survey were tested using a broad ranging VTEC test, seven VTEC serogroups were picked up which would have been missed if only the E. coli O157 test had been used. These VTEC serogroups were: O6, O8, O130, O145, O149, O166 and an isolate which was O-unidentifiable.

If food business operators or official agencies consider it appropriate to test raw minced beef or beef burgers for VTEC, they should consider testing for a range of serogroups, in particular those most frequently linked to human illness. According to the European Food Safety Authority, these serogroups are: O157; O26, O103, O91, O145 and O111. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) published a standard method for the detection of five of these serogroups in 2012.

The full survey report is available on the FSAI website at: http://bit.ly/109tYOj

The Prevention of Verotocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) Infection: a Shared Responsibility: http://bit.ly/17StdRf

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Ground Beef: http://1.usa.gov/11eP3tf

Monitoring of Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) and identification of human pathogenic VTEC types: http://bit.ly/1252YUk

Horse meat scandal leads to tighter rules: Ireland food safety chief

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Douglas Powell

Excerpts below from an op-ed in in the Irish Times by Prof Alan Reilly, chief executive of Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

Over three months have elapsed since the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) uncovered the practice of replacing processed beef with horse meat. Initial inquires put the spotlight on three processing plants, two in Ireland and one in the UK. Soon, it became evident the problem was not confined to these islands, as most countries in Europe became involved.

It is disturbing that in Europe where, in the wake of food scares, the food control systems have undergone extensive review and renewal, a scandal of large proportions went unnoticed and undetected.

The scale of the scandal is astounding. Numerous foods, beef burgers, beef meals, pies, meat balls, kebabs and remarkably, even chicken nuggets were removed from sale. One recall alone in the Netherlands involved 50,000 tonnes of meat – over 500 million burgers. Leading international food brands and retailers were caught in a web of deception perpetuated in Europe for at least a year, possibly longer.

Some businesses have ceased, others lost market share, and consumer confidence eroded. Brands and reputations carefully nurtured over years will take a long time to recover their association with quality and trust. Apart from reputational damage, the scandal resulted in the regrettable waste of considerable quantities of food.

What is clear is the risk to public health from this incident is low, as most evidence to date suggests the horse meat used came from approved abattoirs. All products in Ireland that tested positive for horse DNA, tested negative for the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone, or “bute”.

Nevertheless, the practice of replacing processed beef with horse meat and failing to inform consumers is unacceptable. The primary motive is profit.

Already changes are coming. Global standards for the trade in beef trim will become more stringent. It will no longer be the industry norm to purchase frozen beef blocks on face value. Laboratory testing for species authenticity will be commonplace. DNA testing of meat products will be standard for major retailers. Verification of the authenticity of meat species will underpin product labelling.

As ever with food incidents, an important lesson is how risk communication minimises damage to reputations and brands. There were interesting contrasts in how food companies responded to the crisis, from denial to full acceptance of responsibilities.

Our experience is that the more a food company is open and transparent , the less likely it will be accused of cover up or lack of due care. The horse meat scandal demonstrated again how proactive risk communication and acceptance of responsibility increases public trust and minimises reputational damage.

Salmonella controls for duck flocks working in Ireland; reptiles remain a source of infection

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Douglas Powell

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland says that procedures put in place to control Salmonella in ducks and duck eggs are working, according to the National Salmonella, Shigella and Listeria Reference Laboratory (NSSLRL). In its Annual Report for 2011, the laboratory reports a decrease in the number of cases of illness caused by a particular strain of Salmonella
which has been linked to duck eggs (S. Typhimurium DT8). Because duck eggs can occasionally contain Salmonella, they must not be eaten raw, but fully cooked until the yolk and white are solid.

Sometimes, subtyping can actually detect outbreaks. In 2009, the NSSLRL noticed an increase in cases of illness caused by a particular strain of S. Typhimurium (phage type DT8) and alerted public health colleagues to the possibility of an outbreak. Over 30 cases were detected and investigations by the Outbreak Control Team pointed to the consumption of duck eggs as the source.

In order to control the outbreak, consumers were advised not to eat raw or undercooked duck eggs and to handle them hygienically. Also, new legislation setting down a legal basis for the control of Salmonella in ducks and duck eggs was introduced (S.I. No 565 of 2010). This legislation requires anyone keeping ducks (even a small ‘backyard’ flock) to register with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Also, anyone selling even small quantities of duck eggs must put in place a biosecurity plan to prevent Salmonella entering their flock and spreading. Guidelines are available on DAFM’s website at: www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmingsectors/poultry.

According to the NSSLRL, these control measures have worked. The number of cases of human illness caused by S. Typhimurium DT8 has dropped from 28 in 2010 to nine in 2011.

Salmonella infection is a notifiable disease in Ireland. All cases diagnosed by doctors or clinical laboratories must be notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), which manages the surveillance of infectious diseases in Ireland. The HPSC provisionally reported 314 cases of Salmonella infection in 2011, which follows a decline in numbers of cases since a peak in 1998.

According to the NSSLRL, Salmonella Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis were the strains which caused most Salmonella illness in humans in 2011, as in previous years. Of the 320 Salmonella isolates from patients referred to the NSSLRL in 2011, 27% were identified as S. Typhimurium and 18% as S. Enteritidis.

Reptiles as a Source of Infection

Reptiles often carry Salmonella and can be a source of infection, especially for children. The HPSC advises that households with children under five years of age should not keep reptiles as pets; and neither should reptiles be kept in childcare facilities such as crèches. However, the NSSLRL is concerned that this public health message is not being heeded because reptile-associated cases in children continued to be reported in 2011. Subtyping of isolates from a number of these cases revealed that the strain which caused illness in the child or children was the same as that carried by the household’s pet reptile.

NSSLRL annual reports are available at: www.nuigalway.ie/salmonella_lab/

Twelve cafes and restaurants hit with closure in Ireland

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Douglas Powell

“… There continues to be food business operators who put consumers’ health at risk by not complying with their legal obligations for food safety and hygiene.

"Food business operators must recognise that the legal onus is on them to be responsible and ensure that the food they serve is safe to eat."

That’s professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, describing the monthly inspection results as "extremely disappointing".

Twelve companies were hit with closure orders after being found with such poor food safety and hygiene standards they were deemed to be of grave or immediate danger to the public.

One cash-and-carry was served with a prohibition order, meaning it was banned from selling food found to have been dangerous to consumers.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the 13 orders represented a fourfold increase from the previous month, making July one of the highest ever for enforcements over the last decade.

Steal this movie, don’t steal this beef

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Douglas Powell

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has alerted consumers and food businesses about a theft of a consignment of beef from a Dublin-based meat wholesaler.

Consumers are being urged not to purchase any meat sold from unregistered outlets or unregistered door-to-door sales.

Up to 43 boxes (approx 20-24kg per box) of beef containing prime cuts, rolled rib of beef and knuckle were stolen.

The FSAI said food businesses have a legal obligation to only purchase meat from approved sources after checking all appropriate documentation.

Any break in the cold chain between the time the meat was stolen and when it may be sold could result in a serious health risk to consumers, particularly given the recent hot weather.

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