The head of Germany’s national disease control centre, Reinhard Burger, has stated that after the epidemiological investigation there is enough evidence to conclude that the E. Coli outbreak started from sprouts (bean). What effect this will have on the farmers and consumer confidence worldwide only time will tell. There is a need for greater vigilance in food hygiene, particularly for those who are responsible for production and delivery of food. Challenges can come not only from know pathogens, but recent years have seen the sudden emergence of previously unknown strains with tragic lethal outcomes for consumers, while for producers and suppliers the consequences can be legally and economically disastrous.
Andrew Broggio, Managing Director from Medical Wire (a UK-based firm that has a number of products which can be utilised to detect foodborne pathogens) says “it is therefore imperative that rigorous and validated cleaning procedures are maintained to prevent contamination in all aspects of food handling and processing environments. Andrew goes on to explain this is “to ensure cleaning continues to be effective all cleaned surfaces must be regularly sampled and tested to ensure microbial levels are within acceptable limits and that no dangerous pathogens are present.”