The globalisation of trade means that we can now import foodstuffs from all over the world. While enriching our diet, this availability also brings food safety challenges, especially for meat and dairy products.
This report by Dr John Hales discusses how measures to protect animal health can also help to safeguard the wholesomeness and safety of the food that we eat. Introduction to food safety and animal health
Food safety has in recent decades achieved a previously unparalleled degree of public and media interest. Despite a generally good safety record, a series of high profile food scares has served to undermine the confidence of consumers in the ability of the industry to always produce safe food. In addition, there are implications for international trading relationships, with countries forbidden to export products if there are concerns over food safety. Globalisation of food production and supply
Food safety issues have tended to become exacerbated through the globalisation of food production, marketing and supply. The global distribution of many food items has been made possible through advances in food preservation that permit the transportation of perishable items around the world and ensure year round availability of seasonal or exotic foods.
However, a less desirable consequence of these changes is that events taking place on a single large production unit may have repercussions almost anywhere around the globe. Many countries have introduced improved monitoring of their disease status and changes in the relevant hygiene regulations, together with improved enforcement of legislation. This has been greatly assisted by the introduction and implementation of supermarket quality standards, which include audits of production facilities and minimum animal welfare standards Food safety scares in the mass media A series of recent food related news items began in the UK in 1988 with the “Salmonella in eggs” affair. The next important food crisis concerned Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. BSE was in many ways a turning point in the public perception of food safety and did much to undermine subsequent public confidence in government proclamations on food safety. Outbreaks of E. coli O157 occurred in North America and the UK, including in 1996 a major outbreak of E. coli O157 in Scotland.
Other reports included the announcement in 1998 of a possible link between milk contaminated with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and Crohn's Disease. The contamination of animal feed with dioxin in Belgium in 1999 and Listeria in French soft cheese which was linked to the deaths of at least two people.
The most recent example has been the Cadbury-Schweppes recall of chocolate products in the UK following the identification of potential contamination with Salmonella Montevideo. These incidents and other controversial issues, such as the safety of genetically modified crops, food irradiation and long-held concerns over hormone residues in meat, have raised political concerns over the safety of EU food imports and resulted in conflict between the WTO and the European Commission. Major causes of foodborne disease The report discusses the key pathogens responsible for foodborne disease including zoonoses which may be transmitted by food. Campylobacter is currently the most commonly reported cause of foodborne illness in the EU and US, followed by Salmonella. The report also covers other important food borne pathogens such as Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7, Yersinia, Listeria, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridia (eg. Botulism and Cl. Perfringens), Bacillus cereus, vibrio, a range of viruses and various parasites (such as trichinella, sarcocystis and cysticercus). Methods of improving food safety through control of animal disease Animal medicines, including vaccines, play an important role in the control and prevention of animal disease. A key requirement is that adequate records of animal remedy usage should be maintained. Control during slaughter, processing and packing is exerted through HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), which were included in the Codex Alimentarius in 1993.
Improvements in the traceability of food, from better identification of animals and farm sources, through to DNA-testing of meat products, and better labelling of the final product have a number of benefits and there are also a number of new product initiatives in this area. Salmonella vaccines have played an important role in reducing Salmonella levels in poultry and eggs and further advances in the field of food safety vaccines are likely. Vaccines to reduce levels of Campylobacter in poultry are in development. In Canada, an E. coli O157:H7 cattle vaccine has been developed for pre-slaughter control of food-borne disease.
This report will prove to be a valuable starting point for anyone researching the market opportunity for animal products that can be linked to aspects of food safety. By providing background context the reader can quickly assimilate the key facts and identify potential areas for further investigation. To subscribe to our podcast in iTunes, key in "Animal Pharm" in the search box or subscribe to this address: http://www.animalpharmnews.com/
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