UK consumers should boycott supermarket chicken, says food expert

Prompted by the U.K. Food Standards Agency’s publication of Campylobacter contamination levels of supermarket chicken, Professor Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University and adviser to successive U.K. governments has suggested that consumers stop buying chicken from supermarkets.
“I would suggest that we refuse to buy poultry until this is sorted out. This is a public health scandal easily on a par to that of the 1980s-1990s,” he said.
Since the FSA statistics were published, social media has seen its fair share of comments blaming industrial production and capitalism for producing “dirty” chicken, with some commentators feeling that they have had the truth kept from them by greedy supermarkets and “factor farmers.” 
Not all comment, however, has been so condemnatory. Professor Christine Dodd, president of the Society for Applied Microbiology, said: “This is not a new problem, and the short term solution remains for us all to ensure that we store, prepare and cook chicken properly.
“Research continues into the best ways to reduce Campylobacter contamination in our poultry products, right along the food chain, from field to fork. In the meantime, taking some simple steps at home will prevent many cases of food poisoning from chicken.”

UK’s FSA issues alert on unapproved poultry, lamb, fish

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a Food Alert for Action, stating that a Scotland business has been operating as an unapproved cutting plant. According to the FSA, GSR Distributions Ltd, trading as Spiceway, Rutherglen, Glasgow, has processed and distributed a variety of chicken, lamb and fish products.
Authorities have been notified by the FSA that affected products include whole skin-on chickens, diced chicken, chicken filets, chicken wings, chicken mince, diced lamb, lab pieces, lamb mince and fish pieces. These products are sold loose in polythene bags and in various pack sizes. There is no information available on specific product names, brand name, batch codes, durability dates or country of origin.
Since a report on the full distribution of these products is not available, FSA believes the products could have been distributed nationally. However, it is known that at least some of the food items listed have been supplied to Eskview Ltd, T/A HDS (Halal Direct Scotland), an internet sales business that supplies primarily domestic customers.
FSA urges consumers who may have purchased these products to not eat them.
If any of these products are found during inspections, enforcement officers should ensure they are withdrawn from sale and destroyed.

UK to sharpen focus on food crime

The U.K. is to establish a Food Crime Unit to fight the trade in fraudulent food. The unit is one of the recommendations made in the Elliott report, which examines food integrity and assurance of food supply networks and was launched in response to last year’s horsemeat scandal, which saw contaminated beef products reaching supermarket shelves across Europe.
The Elliott report looks at ways to prevent food fraud incidents from happening. The Elliott report also looked at how to improve the culture of the food supply chain to support industry in taking responsibility for the traceability of its products, supporting local authorities targeting enforcement activity based on risk and ensuring that consumers have an increased understanding of where their food comes from.


Transparency
The horsemeat fraud incident highlighted the importance of having transparency about the source of food products, the U.K. government notes. Consumers made clear that they wanted assurance that what they are buying is what it says it is. 
The country is to take, or has taken, further steps to ensure that consumers know where their food is coming from. These include improved labeling, including country of origin labeling from April 2015; making it easier for food procurers to make decisions about the locality, authenticity and traceability of their food; and, robust testing of meat by industry and government.
Among other accepted recommendations in the report are creating a zero tolerance approach to food fraud, including through the development of whistle-blowing and reporting of food crime. There also will be a shared focus by government and industry on intelligence gathering and sharing, and the introduction of new unannounced audit checks by the food industry to protect businesses and their customers.


Farming support
The president of the country’s National Farmers Union, Meurig Raymond, commented: “Food fraud is an issue that must be taken seriously as it is corrosive to consumer confidence, which has ramifications right the way through the food chain.
“This report now requires the support of government ministers to turn words into actions to ensure U.K. consumers are provided with secure, safe and local food for consumers to eat. The promises made by retailers in the wake of the horsemeat scandal need to be remembered, and promises to shorten supply chains and bring food closer to home should be honored.
We are supportive of the idea to create a food crime unit and look forward to finding out more about what this will look like and how it will work in practice. Although it is important that farmers do not bear the brunt of setting it up.” 

British meat buying decisions influenced mostly by price

Price is the most important factor for consumers when choosing which meat to buy and eat, with 61 percent of consumers saying cost has the biggest impact on their decision. Appearance is an important factor for a third of consumers (33 percent), followed closely by taste (31 percent), according to the British Poultry Council (BPC).
Consumers in the Southwest and aged 18-24 (both 70 percent) are the most price conscious, whereas those who are 65 years old and over are the least likely to prioritize cost (45 percent).
Poultry is meat of choice in Great Britain
Following the horsemeat crisis in January 2013, the poultry industry has continued to flourish with one in five respondents (19 percent) saying they now eat more poultry than beef, pork or other meats.
The survey conducted by Populus on behalf of the BPC shows that buying British is a priority for many consumers with 60 percent reporting that they always or mostly make sure that the meat they buy is British. Twenty-nine percent of Scots say they always buy British meat, compared to only 14 percent of those in Yorkshire and Humber.
Commenting on the figures, Andrew Large, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said: “The UK poultry industry continues to feed the nation. British provenance remains important for the majority of consumers and so we will strive to provide them with high quality, healthy and affordable products.”

UK agriculture alliance appoints new chairman

The UK-based Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) announced the appointment of Gwyn Jones as the Alliance's new Chairman.
Gwyn Jones is a dairy farmer from Sussex and a strong advocate of the responsible use of medicines on farm. He was previously Vice President of the National Farmers' Union and is currently Chairman of EPRUMA, the European Union equivalent of RUMA.
Jones said, "RUMA is an exciting farm to fork organization and its clear and honest policies mean that it punches well above its weight in terms of profile and influence on an increasingly international stage. I am honored to be asked by the Alliance to take the Chairman's role and help steer its activities during this next challenging period.
"Responsible use of antibiotics has been recognized widely as a key element to protecting the continued efficacy of these important medicines for both animals and humans. RUMA has a vital role to play in helping farmers and vets continue to use medicines responsibly."

Strategy calls for action in human, animal medicine to fight antibiotic resistance

The newly published UK five-year antimicrobial-resistance strategy calls for action in both human and animal medicine under the banner of "One Health." The strategy follows the UK chief medical officer's March 2013 report, which highlighted the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
The strategy has been published jointly by the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK Department of Health, the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland executive.
Seven key areas for future action are outlined in the strategy:

• Improving infection prevention and control practices
• Optimizing prescribing practice
• Improving education, training and public engagement
• Developing new drugs, treatments and diagnostics
• Better access to and use of surveillance
• Better identification and prioritization of antimicrobial resistance research needs
• Strengthened international collaboration
It also details specific actions to be taken by each sector of medicine.
The strategy acknowledges that scientific evidence increasingly suggests the clinical issues with antimicrobial resistance in humans are primarily the result of antibiotic use in people, but the use of antibiotics in animals is an important factor contributing to the wider pool of resistance.
The strategy outlines actions already taken within the veterinary profession, including the detailed guidelines on responsible use of antimicrobials in animals, as well as the introduction of a requirement in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct for veterinarians to use antimicrobials responsibly.
"Antimicrobial resistance is indeed one of the most significant threats to animal and human health, and we fully support the aims of the UK strategy," said Peter Jones, president of the British Veterinary Association. "We have long championed the need for the responsible use of these vital medicines, and we will continue to engage with vets in all types of practice to ensure that this message is heard loud and clear.
"We are also pleased to see definitive statements on the fact that the major driver for antibiotic resistance in people is the use of antibiotics in humans, but we fully recognize the need to tackle resistance in animals. That is why the 'One Health' approach of medical and veterinary professionals working together will be crucial to the success of the strategy," said Jones.

Vion to sell UK food businesses

Dutch food producer Vion NV will sell its UK businesses, including 38 different sites employing 38,000 people, according to Vion. The company has said it wants to focus on core markets in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as develop its global ingredients business.
The units include poultry, pork and red meat businesses. "We have already started detailed discussions with a number of interested parties, including management, regarding the acquisition of the various parts of the UK business and these are progressing well," said Peter Barr, chairman of Vion UK. “The level of interest in the businesses has been strong and we hope to be in a position in the near future to give further details about the progress which has been made. The sale process will be completed in a smooth and orderly fashion to ensure business continuity for our employees, agricultural and other suppliers and our customers.” 

UK farming industry calls for supermarket adjudicator

The UK’s National Farmers' Union has called on the government to bring forward a bill to establish a groceries code adjudicator to protect the interests of suppliers, producers and consumers. The country’s Groceries Supply Code of Practice came into force in February 2010, but no monitoring or enforcement body has been put in place. “The Coalition Government has committed to introducing an adjudicator and [in 2011] published a draft bill setting out its proposals," said National Farmers' Union head of government affairs Nick Von Westenholz. "The [National Farmers' Union] believes that, given the cross-party support for the adjudicator, and the fact that two select committees of [Parliament] have already examined the draft bill, there is no reason the formal bill can’t be introduced during the final months of the current Parliamentary session." The National Farmers' Union is calling for an adjudicator to be in place by the end of 2012.

Europe stance on GM crops concerns UK farmers union

The UK's National Farmers Union is concerned that the European Parliament is setting a "dangerous precedent" for EU legislation by ignoring scientific advice on genetically modified crop varieties.
Members of Parliament have backed a report, based on proposals from the European Commission, which would allow Europe’s Member States to disregard advice from the European Food Safety Authority and ban the cultivation of GM crops for non-scientific reasons.
“Farmers need all the tools available to them to contribute to ‘sustainable intensification’," said Dr. Helen Ferrier, NFU chief science and regulatory affairs adviser. "With the world population set to grow to 9 billion by 2050, Europe must be in a position to contribute towards global food security. We believe a common authorization procedure with common health and environmental safety will best serve EU farmers, consumers and the environment.”

UK food industry pressed to improve origin labeling

UK food businesses, including supermarkets and processors, should do more voluntarily to improve country of origin labeling, said the UK’s Food Minister Jim Paice.
On a visit to the town of Melton Mowbray, home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie, Paice said he wanted to see improved country of origin labeling, particularly for meat and dairy products where confusion can most easily occur.
The origin labeling of meat, meat products such as pies and ready-meals and dairy products tend to be the most confusing for consumers to understand. Improving labeling for consumers to make it clear where their food comes from is a key objective for the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in developing a voluntary agreement with the industry.
A good practice code already exists within the pig meat industry with many major companies committed to minimum standards on origin labeling, product definitions and breed names on labels.
While the Defra has said it would prefer industry to respond voluntarily to consumer demand for better origin labeling, it will also be pressing for the option of compulsion to be kept open.

UK sets chicken stocking requirement

The UK will require that chickens raised for meat in the country must be stocked according to a 2007 European Union directive on lowest suggested density. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it will allow broilers to be stocked at a maximum of 39 kilograms per square meter. The EU directive recommended a density of 33 kilograms per square meter (or about 16 chickens) up to 42 kilograms per square meter (21 chickens).
While broilers comprise the greatest number of farmed animals in the EU at more than 5 billion broilers raised each year, 800 million in the UK, they have been unprotected by law until recently.

Campylobacter ‘biggest UK food safety challenge’

Working with the UK food industry to tackle campylobacter has been identified by the country’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) as its key priority for the next five years in recently published proposals.
The FSA’s Foodborne Disease Strategy, a roadmap for reducing all types of food poisoning in the UK by 2015, says that the increased prevalence of campylobacter is the biggest challenge for food safety.
The most recent study by the agency showed that 65% of raw shop-bought chicken was contaminated with campylobacter. An estimated 300,000 cases of food poisoning are attributed to campylobacter every year in England and Wales alone.
The FSA’s proposed action on campylobacter includes:
working closely with the UK food industry to trial new intervention measures on farm, in slaughterhouses and at retail level;
setting a new target for reducing the levels of campylobacter by 2015; and
helping to ensure people can protect themselves from infection with campylobacter by making sure they are aware of the need to avoid cross-contamination when handling raw chicken and to cook chicken thoroughly.

New program could save UK poultry, pig farmers £850

The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency has launched a new farm certification program for pig and poultry producers that is expected to save the typical farm about £850 in government fees, according to the National Farmers' Union, which worked with the agency to develop the program.
Currently, pig and poultry producers receive three visits per year by the Environment Agency to ensure that they are in compliance with environmental and pollution regulations. Under the new Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Pig and Poultry Assurance Scheme, farm units that have achieved high environmental compliance will receive data collection visits once yearly in conjunction with their annual Red Tractor farm assurance audits. Red Tractor is a voluntary UK certification program that indicates that a product meets certain food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards.
An Environment Agency officer will assess the data collected by the auditor. If no violations are found, the Environment Agency will only visit once every three years.
“This is a groundbreaking … initiative designed to minimize the burden on the farming industry,” said Martin Haworth, acting director general of the National Farmers’ Union. “Both the NFU and the Environment Agency are very conscious of the need to reduce the administrative pressures on the pig and poultry sectors, and of the need for an industry with very tight margins to be competitive. This approach will mean a reduction in cost and red tape for producers, as well as protecting the environment.”
Tricia Henton, the Environment Agency’s director of environment and business, said, “This initiative will save time and money for farmers with a good environmental track record. And it will give the Environment Agency more time to focus its efforts on those who pose the greatest environmental risk.”
Certification bodies participating in the program are SAI Global (previously EFSIS) and NSF CMI. PAI (including Genesis Quality Assurance) and National Brittania are working towards being licensed.

UK supermarkets endorse country-of-origin labeling for pork products

Britain’s major supermarket chains have endorsed a voluntary code that will provide clear information about country of origin on packs of pork, bacon and ham.
The companies that have already committed to the code include Asda, Baxter Storey, Marks and Spencer, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Tesco, The Co-operative, Waitrose and Whitbread.
Launched by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn at the National Farmers Union Conference on February 23, the latest move has been welcomed by British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston, who said, "Clear labeling is great news for everyone in the supply chain … benefiting both the producer and the processor."

UK meat groups, cancer organization dispute study results

Four UK agricultural groups—the National Beef Association, the British Pig Executive, the National Sheep Association and the National Farmers' Union—have issued statements suggesting that the World Cancer Research Fund has misled the public with its recommendations on meat consumption.
In its 2007 report on possible links between diet and cancer, the fund recommends that individuals limit their consumption of red meat to 500 grams cooked weight per week and avoid processed meat. The fund says that this recommendation was developed by an independent panel of international scientists who concluded that convincing evidence links the consumption of red and processed meat to colorectal cancer.
According to a press statement by the UK agricultural organizations, other researchers have drawn different conclusions. The statement said that Dr. Stewart Truswell of the University of Sydney, Australia, and Dr. Dominik Alexander of the American scientific consulting firm Exponent have found several errors and omissions in the diet and cancer report.
According to the statement, “Dr. Truswell published a letter in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition detailing his concerns. Dr. Alexander completed a review which identified analytical inconsistencies and data extraction errors in WCRF’s evidence, which could have contributed to an overestimate of the association between eating red meat and the risk of [colorectal cancer]. The conclusion of Dr. Alexander’s review was that ‘there is no conclusive evidence of causal relationship’ between eating meat and [colorectal cancer].”
The industry groups accused the cancer fund of refusing to publicly acknowledge errors in the report or inform the UK Food Standards Agency about potential errors.
In response to the industry statement, the World Cancer Research Fund released its own statement saying, “The UK meat lobby accuses WCRF of making mistakes in analyzing the scientific literature about the link between meat and colorectal cancer and then refusing to admit to these mistakes. This is not true. Any errors in the report were too minor to have affected the overall conclusions.” The fund has created a Web page listing errors it identified in the report and corrections.
Professor Martin Wiseman, project director of the diet and cancer report, said he personally invited the agricultural groups to share any information they had about inconsistencies in the report with the Food Standards Agency.

UK quality assurance program announces changes

In April, the United Kingdom’s Assured Food Standards will implement changes to its Red Tractor program to unify the brand and ensure that farm products from all sectors meet consistent standards.
The rebranding includes changing the names of sector quality assurance agencies that award the Red Tractor label. For example, Assured Chicken Production (ACP) will be called Red Tractor Farm Assurance–Poultry, while Assured British Pigs (ABP) will be called Red Tractor Farm Assurance–Pigs.
Producers currently involved in the program will receive new manuals in February to help them meet industry standards for their sector. According to Assurance Food Standards, most of the changes are minor and were made to comply with changing technology and new laws. Changes are highlighted in the producer manuals and in newsletters that will be sent out to affected parties.
The Red Tractor logo is used to designate food products that have met industry standards for safety, quality and affordability. When used in combination with the Union Jack, it also serves as verification that the food comes from British farms and was processed and packed in the United Kingdom.
More than £10B worth of products currently carry the Red Tractor quality assurance mark.