In Andrew’s absence this week, I’d like to hijack the blog and draw your attention to a new research initiative. We are commissioning a range of new research to tackle the food bug campylobacter, which causes about 300,000 cases of food poisoning a year. It is the biggest cause of food poisoning in the UK and this is why we are making it our top food safety priority for the next five years.
Our aim is to better understand the science around campylobacter and more easily identify solutions for reducing the worrying levels of the bacteria on raw chicken. There is no one ‘magic bullet’ to solve the problem of campylobacter, but a better understanding of the science will allow us to work out which combination of solutions are best for the UK.
The various pieces of research will look at the organism itself and the effect it has on its host, coupled with developing a better knowledge of the impact of various potential interventions.
We are working closely with research partners and the food industry to tackle this problem and this research will help underpin all of our future action. In the meantime, there is action we can all take to avoid food poisoning from campylobacter: if food is prepared, handled, and cooked properly, avoiding cross-contamination with other food, then bugs will not have a chance to spread and cause harm.