| Chapter 8 Food
Hygiene at the Point of Consumption |
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| 8.1 The
Central Scotland and Tayside outbreaks have highlighted
the vulnerability to infection with E.coli O157 of
particular sectors of the community (notably the elderly)
and, where ready to eat foods are concerned, the
inability of the consumer to take effective measures to
avoid infection. We are concerned that undue
responsibility should not be placed on the consumer for
ensuring the safety of food consumed. Nonetheless, the
point of consumption of food has to be recognised as the
last line of defence against contamination and infection
and consumers have an important role to play in food
safety. |
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| 8.2 There is
a need to ensure that everyone handling food - from those
preparing it at home to those catering for large groups
at other venues - is aware of the potential for foodborne
infection and the measures that can be taken to avoid it.
There should be a continual process of education and
reinforcement of that message. During the Central
Scotland outbreak, The Scottish Office undertook, a
publicity campaign to reinforce with the public and the
trade the measures that can be taken to help ensure safe
food production. The key messages from that are set out
in Annex VII. We welcome the steps that were taken to
inform the public and the trade of food safety measures.
We are also aware, however, that media campaigns of this
nature are extremely expensive, of limited duration and
may not last long in the attention span of consumers. We
suggest there need to be other, on-going methods of
promoting safe food preparation. |
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| 8.3 That
approach should be founded on a good, basic awareness of
the need for appropriate personal hygiene, food
preparation and storage. Parents and guardians need to
ensure that children are properly instructed in personal
hygiene measures and trained to wash hands thoroughly
after using the toilet and before handling food.
Additional measures could include, for example, giving
appropriate emphasis to food safety in teaching in
schools, in out of school classes and in other courses.
Clearly, good hygiene practice should be an essential
element of any food training and a pre-requisite for the
award of any educational or training qualifications in
this area. There would seem to be no reason in principle
why, for example, appropriate advice on the need for the
proper preparation and handling of food could not be
included on food labelling. |
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| 8.4 A
particular issue highlighted by the outbreaks, and which
was raised by several of those who discussed matters with
the Group, is the question of food preparation in
non-registered premises such as church halls and
community centres. We are acutely conscious of the very
good intentions of those who arrange and contribute
towards events such as Christmas dinners, lunch clubs for
elderly people and other similar functions. We in no way
wish to undermine that. Nonetheless, we recognise that
the production by untrained helpers, often in
inappropriate premises with inadequate equipment, of food
for consumption by potentially extremely vulnerable
groups of people can carry high levels of risk. In short,
applying the principles of hazard analysis would suggest
the need for great care in these circumstances. The
practical problems of cooking for large numbers of people
without adequate knowledge and understanding of the
problems and risk cannot be overstated. |
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| 8.5 There is
no easy way to ameliorate this situation and whatever we
propose is likely to have potentially unwelcome
implications - for voluntary and charitable groups and
for the resources of local authority environmental health
departments. Clearly, part of the approach has to be the
education of those involved. That could comprise, for
example, ensuring the display of appropriate guidance in
premises and encouraging organisers to contact their
local environmental health department in advance of
functions so that appropriate and tailored advice and
guidance can be offered. Those contemplating organising
such events would be well advised to seek professional
advice well in advance, whether from their local
environmental health department or other hygiene
professionals. Practical measures, such as testing the
internal temperature of ovens and refrigerators, could
also be taken to ensure that equipment is in good order
and operates to specification. |
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| 8.6 The
risks which E.coli O157 poses for vulnerable
groups, in particular those in institutions such as
nursing homes, day-care centres or hospitals, were
highlighted in paragraph 3.11. Exceptional care is
required in food handling and preparation in these areas:
food handlers should be educated and trained to a
suitable standard to ensure that these extraordinary
risks are recognised and minimised. |
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| Recommendations |
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| 8.7 In
summary, we wish to see continual education and
reinforcement of the need to ensure good personal hygiene
and food handling practices at the point of consumption.
We commend the initiatives of those retailers and food
manufactures who provide information and advice to
consumers on food safety. In addition, we would encourage
parents, guardians, teachers and others to promote
awareness of the importance, and the application, of good
personal hygiene measures from an early age. We also
recommend:- a.
that food hygiene training should be provided wherever
possible within the primary and secondary school
curriculum;
b. that guidance and
education about food handling and hygiene should be
included in all food and catering education and training
courses and should be reinforced through periodic
advertising and awareness initiatives. Consideration
could also be given to incorporating appropriate advice
into food labelling, marketing initiatives and other
media;
c. that steps should be
taken by local authorities to encourage the adoption of
HACCP principles in non-registered premises where there
is catering for functions for groups of people involving
the serving of more than just tea, coffee and
confectionery goods. That could include ensuring the
display within the premises of appropriate guidance,
encouraging organisers to seek advice from local
environmental health departments prior to events and
ensuring appropriate periodic checks of, for example,
cooking and refrigeration equipment are carried out in
premises known to be used for such events; and
d. that employers
should ensure that food handlers, in particular those
working with vulnerable groups and/or in sensitive areas
such as nursing homes and day-care centres, are aware of
and implement good hygiene practice. They should be
trained at least to the basic and preferably intermediate
level.
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