02.07.2012

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific opinion, suggests that traditional poultry meat inspection may not suffice to fully address the most relevant biological hazards to public health: Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC gene-carrying bacteria (bacteria carrying extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)/AmpC genes).

The EFSA’s scientific opinion, published June 29, is part of a response to European Commission’s May 2010 request that the organization investigate the correlation between meat inspection and public health.
The EFSA was asked to identify and rank the main public health risks associated with the current inspection system and pinpointed Campylobacter, Salmonella, and β-lactamase bacteria as primary targets.
In an analysis of foodborne illness outbreaks among the 27 European Union members, EFSA found that Salmonella and Campylobacter were often detected in fresh broiler meat. In 2010, 99,020 cases of human Salmonella infection and 212,064 cases of human Campylobacter infection were reported during 2010.
EFSA confirms that current inspection methods do not enable the detection of these hazards and, more broadly, do not differentiate food safety concerns from considerations related to meat quality, prevention of animal diseases or occupational hazards.
The group’s recommendation include:
• Creating a comprehensive food safety assurance system that includes clear targets for slaughterhouse and farmers.
• Using an number of controls from farm to slaughterhouse to reduce bacterial levels
• Collecting and analyzing information from farms and slaughterhouses to identify risks.