Hutchison Scientific Ltd

Food safety research and consultancy

News:

 

September 2023

In collaboration with the Animal and Plant Health Sciences Agency, Hutchison Scientific publishes a series of models that identify risk factors for the most highly Campylobacter contaminated chicken broiler carcasses.

Smith R. P., Lawes J., Davies R., Hutchison, M. L., Vidal, A., Gilson D., Rodgers J. 2023. UK-wide risk factor study of broiler carcases highly contaminated with Campylobacter. Zoonoses and Public Health. 70:523-541.

 

March 2022

Mike Hutchison partially retires. All ongoing contracts and existing consultancies will of course be honoured. The intent is that any new work will be focussed on topics that appeal because they are novel or otherwise interesting.

 

June 2021

Hutchison Scientific wins a competative tender to supply teaching and training materials for Environmental Health Officers and other enforcement officers employed by the Scottish Government to protect consumer interests and oversee food safety during production and processing. The materials are three sets of recorded slides, each of eight hours duration.  The materials cover statutory regulations, red meat, poultry and game, ready to eat foods, and smoked fish and seafoods generally. The materials are fully-referenced online lectures, based on independent, peer-reviewed publications.

 

August 2020

Hutchison Scientific wins a ten month contract from Food Standards Scotland to further develop web-based support materials for fresh fruit and vegetable growers and fish processors. The decision support tools provide guidance, support and information on the risks of the spread of zoonotic agents from livestock and wildlife into cultivated foods of non-animal origin. The fish tool provides advice to hot and cold fish smokers on the hazards and consequences of plant resident Listeria monocytogenes contamination of final products.

 

April 2020

Hutchison Scientific wins a competative tender to supply teaching and training materials to vets employed by the Scottish Government. The materials are a series of recorded slides and voiceovers in the style of short, fully-referenced, lectures that cover the regulatory and microbiological aspects of enforcement in red and white meat processing plants by official veterinarians and other government enforcement staff.

 

February 2020

Mike Hutchison is invited to speak in several sessions to AHDB growers and processors on the microbiological risks associated with fresh fruit and vegetables.  The two day event will take place at the University of Warwick Wellesborne campus on the 18th and 19th February.  Hutchison Scientific will present on Listeria monocytogenes risks, emerging human pathogens, the microbiological hazards of crop washing and hydrocooling, and the statistical approaches that can be used for detecting trends in microbiological test results.

 

January 2020

Hutchison Scientific publishes the output of a year long review of the risks of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria associated with secondary processed meats and meat products.

 

June 2019

Hutchison Scientific reports the outcome of an FSA-set UK target to reduce contamination of whole chicken carcasses.  Although the target was not met, research undertaken by HSL showed that a change of the sample type used may have been at least partly responsible.  The paper is:

Hutchison M. L. Tchórzewska, M., Harrison, D., Madden, R.H. and Corry, J. E. L. 2019. Consequences of using two types of skin sample from chilled chicken broiler carcasses to measure the degree of contamination by Campylobacter spp.  J. Food Prot. 82:11-24-1129.

 

January 2019

Hutchison Scientific wins a competition tender from the UK Food Standards Agency to review the emerging issue of multi-drug resistant bacteria being isolated from secondary processed meats in the UK.  A systematic approach will be used to identify, appraise and summarise the relevant literature.

 

February 2018

Hutchison Scientific wins a competition tender for the Scottish Government to train Food Standards Scotland meat inspectors in the sample collection methodologies allowed for the statutory sampling of red and white carcasses and various meat products. As part of the same contract, HSL will write the Official Manual for Government Controls for meat plants operating in Scotland.

 

January 2018

Hutchison Scientific publishes the results of a collaborative study with AFBI, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Teagasc. The work determined the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in smaller food processing facilities operated by 24 companies in Northern Ireland. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis revealed the presence of 27 pulsotypes within the L. monocytogenes isolated. Whole genome sequencing revealed all of the isolates carried the pathogenicity genes inlA and actA and 71.4% carried qacH, which confers resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds that are frequently used in sanitizers. The strains also contained key virulence determinants that made them capable of causing human illness.

Madden, R. H., Hutchison M. L. Jordan, K., Pennone, V., Gundogdu, O. and Corcionivoschi, N. 2018. Prevalence and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes in the premises and products of small food business operators in Northern Ireland. Food Control.  In press.

 

November 2017

Hutchison Scientific publishes the result of investigations with Harper Adams University on distribution conditions for fresh produce and the survival of human pathogenic microorganisms. The peer reviewed study is:

Hutchison, M.L., Harrison, D., Heath, J.F. and Monaghan, J.M. (2017), Fate of Escherichia coli O145 present naturally in bovine slurry applied to vegetables before harvest, after washing and simulated wholesale and retail distribution. J Appl Microbiol. 123:1597-1606 doi:10.1111/jam.13593

 

May 2017

Hutchison Scientific is asked by the British Retail Consortium to set up and manage a scheme to determine laboratory testing proficiencies for campylobacters in poultry-derived samples.  In collaboration with the University of Bristol, the first trail was undertaken in June 2017 and included 23 participating testing laboratories.

 

March 2017

Mike Hutchison publishes a mathematical model that has identified potential processing and production factors associated with colonisation and protection in the UK.  The peer-reviewed study is:

Hutchison, M.L., Taylor, M.J., Tchòrzewska, M.A., Ford, G., Madden, R.H. and Knowles, T.G. (2017), Modelling-based identification of factors influencing campylobacters in chicken broiler houses and on carcasses sampled after processing and chilling. J Appl Microbiol, 122: 1389–1401. doi:10.1111/jam.13434

 

September 2016

Mike Hutchison is asked to contribute to a programme of six fresh produce hygiene workshops organised by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board for UK growers.

 

July 2016

In collaboration with Harper Adams University, Hutchison Scientific publish the results of their investigations into the use of field toilets, handwashing and the contamination of fresh product such as carrots. The citation for the work is:

Monaghan, J.M. and Hutchison, M.L. 2016. Ineffective hand washing and the contamination of carrots after using a field latrine. Lett Appl Microbiol, 62: 299–303. doi:10.1111/lam.12549

 

March 2016

Hutchison Scientific Ltd enters into a collaboration with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to investgate the farm factors associated with the colonisation of chickens and contamination of broiler carcasses with campylobacters in the UK.

 

January 2016

In collaboratation with AFBI and Teagasc, Hutchison Scientific win a competitive tender to investigate Listeria contamination of ready-to-eat foods in the isle of Ireland.  The study will collect and test food and environment samples from Irish food processors, type and fingerprint isolates and review the recent literature relating to Listeria.

 

November 2015

Hutchison Scientific Ltd celebrates a decade of making a contribution to reducing foodborne illness in the UK.

 

October 2015

Hutchison Scientific is awarded a contract from Food Standards Scotland to systematically review literature relating to smoked seafood and fresh produce.  The work also involves the provision of technical advice to a specialist programing team.

 

July 2015

In collaboration with AFBI, Hutchison Scientific are awarded a competative tender to independently verify the effectiveness of interventions for campylobacters during chicken broiler processing.

 

May 2015

Hutchison Scientific establishes a national network of samplers and wins a competative tender to collect chicken broiler carcasses at retail for supply to Public Health England on behalf of the UK Food Standards Agency.

 

December 2014

Hutchison Scientific is commissioned by the National Farmer's Union to provide microbiological and programming support for an FSA study concerned with the on-farm aspects of brolier colonisation by campylobacters.

 

December 2014

Hutchison Scientific win a significant commercial contract from an multi-national food manufacturer to assist with confidential microbiological aspects of their processes.

 

November 2014

Mike Hutchison publishes a validated method for the preparation of commercial quantities of chicken liver pâté that reliably ensures destruction of campylobacters.  The manufacture protocol was favourably appraised by an objective taste panel at the University of Bristol.  The paper reference is:

Hutchison, M.L., Harrison, D., Richardson, I. and Tchórzewska, M. 2015. A method for the preparation of chicken liver pâté that reliably destroys campylobacters. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 12:4652-4669.

 

September 2014

Hutchison Scientific accepts an invitation from the British Poultry Council to become part of a multi-disciplinary team tasked with reducing the incidence of Campylobacter in poultry.  Our role is collect, securely store and statistically analyse industry information.

 

March 2014

In collaboration with Harper Adams University and the University of Bristol, Hutchison Scientific win a competitive tender to undertake studies assessing the fate of surrogates of human pathogenic strains of E. coli on root crops as they move through retail and wholesale distribution chains.

 

January 2014

In collaboration with the AgriFood Biosciences Institute, the Chilled Foods Association and the University of Aberdeen, Hutchison Scientific win an open competion to develop the technical content of decision support tools to help the smoked fish industries manage the risks to food safety caused by Listeria monocytogenes.  As part of the contract, the work will deliver a series of sixteen national launch roadshows for the industry and environmental health officers.  The predicted launch date for the tools is June 2014 and the URL will be www.food.gov.uk/safesmokedfish.

 

January 2014

In collabroation with the University of Aberdeen, Hutchison Scientific publish the results of their findings on risk factors for Listeria monocytogenes contamination of smoked fish.  The paper reference is:

Rotariu, O., Thomas, D. J. I., Goodburn, K., Hutchison, M.L. and Strachan, N.J.C. 2014. Smoked salmon industry practices and their association with Listeria monocytogenes. Food Control. 35:284-291.

 

September 2013:

Mike Hutchison wins a contract from the Food Standards Agency to develop a recipe for chicken liver pate that reliably kills any campylobacters contaminating the raw livers.

 

July 2013:

Mike Hutchison publishes a paper describing the effects of freezing on campylobatcers contaminating chicken livers used for the manufacture of chicken liver pate.  The paper reference is:

Harrison, D., Corry, J. E. L., Tchórzewska, M. A., Morris V. K. and Hutchison M. L. 2013.  Freezing as an intervention to reduce the numbers of campylobacters isolated from chicken livers. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 57:206-213.

 

April 2013:

The Food Standards Agency awards a contract to determine if a risk assessment tool developed by Hutchison Scientific Ltd. identifies risk better than on developed by the University of Ghent.  The study is a collaboration between Ghent, Utrect and Bristol Universities.  Mike Hutchison leads the Bristol inputs. 

 

January 2013

In collaboration with Campden BRI, Mike Hutchison wins a contract to investigate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging on chicken carcasses contaminated with campylobacters.

 

November 2012:

Mike Hutchison wins a contract to investigate freezing as an intervention for campylobacters contaminating chicken livers used for the manufacture of chicken liver pate.

 

November 2012:

A consortium of the Agri-Food Biosciences Institute, Chilled Foods Associates and the University of Aberdeen; led by Hutchison Scientific, win an FSA contract to review and investigate the manufacture of cooked sliced meats and identify contamination pathways for L. monocytogenes.

 

October 2012:

A consortium of the Agri Food Biosciences Institute and Hutchison Scientific win an FSA contract of one year's duration to survey the UK incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced meats purchased at retail.

 

June 2012:

Mike Hutchison accepts an offer of a part time senior research fellowship at the University of Bristol.  The post is to manage the University's subcontracted obligations to Hutchison Scientific and the Food Standards Agency after the retirement of Dr Viv Allen.

 

March 2012

The Food Standards Agency and Horticulture Development Company award Hutchison Scientific and Harper Adams University College a contract to update decision support tools for UK growers of fresh produce.

 

October 2011:

A consortium of the Agri Food Biosciences Institute and Hutchison Scientific win an FSA contract of one year's duration to survey the UK incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced meats purchased at retail.

 

July 2011:

Hutchison Scientific wins an open competition advertised by the British Pig Executive to present a series of roadshows to pig slaughterhouse operators which demonstrate the most hygienic operating practices.  As part of the same contract, a series of thermal imaging visits to five UK slaughterhouses was commissioned as well as the production of a series of best practice processing factsheets. 

 

May 2011:

An international food processing group commission Hutchison Scientific to undertake science-based hygiene assessments and production audits in three of their UK-based food processing premises.

 

March 2011:

The Food Standards Agency renews the contact for management of the www.ukmeat.org website, the UK national microbiological meat test results database, a system to gather and collate Food Chain Information for meat plants and the FSA slaughterhouse assessment and data collection tools.  This contract,  which involves the management of very large amounts of commercially sensitive data, has been awarded to Hutchison Scientific staff for the last decade. 

 

February 2011:

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland awards Hutchison Scientific a year-long project to determine the reasons for increasing human Listeriosis associated with smoked fish.  The study includes Aberdeen University and the Chilled Foods Association as collaborators.

 

January 2011:

A consortium of the Agri Food Biosciences Institute and Hutchison Scientific win a new two year contract to evaluate novel technologies and develop an on-farm rapid-test for the campylobacter infection status of birds. 

 

December 2010:

A consortium of Bristol University, Hutchison Scientific and Campden BRI win a new two year contract to study process interventions to help control the spread of campylobacters between birds on farm and during carcass processing. 

 

November 2010:

As part of their strategic plan to reduce campylobacter infections from chicken, the UK Food Standards Agency awards a major new study to a consortium of Bristol University Vet School and the Agri Food Biosciences Institute, led by Hutchison Scientific.  The two year contract will concentrate on collection of farm and process data with multivariate statistical analyses to determine effective ways to control campylobacter infections in birds.

 

March 2010:

The Food Standards Agency renews the contact for management of the www.ukmeat.org website, the UK national microbiological meat test results database, a system to gather and collate Food Chain Information for meat plants and the new FSA slaughterhouse assessment tools.  This contract,  which involves the management of some very sensitive data, has been awarded to Hutchison Scientific staff for nine consecutive years. 

  

November 2009:

The Food Standards Agency provides ongoing support to Hutchison Scientific and Bristol Vet School for the continued development of tools for the assessment of slaughterhouse hygiene.  Building on the successful trialling of tools for pig and poultry slaughterhouses, the continuing support will enable the refinement and trailing of previously-developed turkey, cattle and sheep tools. 

 

October 2009:

Hutchison Scientific staff travel to Malaysia and Singapore to advise the Malaysian Minister for Health, the United Nations and Malaysian Airlines on measures which help limit the spread of infectious agents such as H1N1 through human populations.

 

September 2009:

The Horticulture Development Company and Food Standards Agency in tandem have commissioned Hutchison Scientific and Harper Adams University College to construct decision support tools for HDC members.  The web-based online tools are to help simplify risk assessments for those growers who spread livestock wastes to land that is later used for growing fresh produce.  Furthermore, tools to assist growers irrigating crops from surface waters, and also worker hygiene assessments have additionally been commissioned.

 

August 2009:

The British Pig Executive commissions Hutchison Scientific to undertake an assessment of singeing equipment efficiency in UK pig slaughterhouses that have signed up to the ZNCP scheme.  In addition to removing hair from the surface of carcasses, singeing helps reduce surface bacterial numbers.  Effective singeing improves food safety and product shelf life. The assessments are undertaken using specialist thermal imaging equipment that measures carcass surface temperatures and reveals cool spots where temperatures are not high enough to achieve effective bacterial kill.

Pig thermal image

 

May 2009:

HSL are awarded a second grant by the EU-funded INDEX project.  The grant is to cover the costs of inputs to our research programme by specialist academics at Universities participating in the scheme. Harper Adams University College will provide HSL with specialist technical inputs to a semi-quantitative model that will help assess the food safety risks associated with growing fresh produce and ready-to-eat vegetables. 

 

April 2009:

The UK Food Standards Agency renews the contact for management of the www.ukmeat.org website and the UK national microbiological meat test results database to Hutchison Scientific for the 8th consecutive year.  Proposed for the current year is the development of a SOAP between the results database and the new slaughterhouse assessment tool database enabling the inclusion of test results into the new slaughterhouse assessment tools.

 

December 2008:

In collaboration with Campden BRI and Bristol Vet School, Hutchison Scientific secure a new EFSA-funded study to determine the fate of Salmonella contamination of poultry carcasses as they are further processed through cutting halls. The project involves sample collection and testing in the UK and also Hungary. The study aims to assess the actual risks associated with portioned chicken from contaminated carcasses and whether it is reasonable to set Salmonella performance criteria for chicken portions at an EU level. 

 

October 2008:

Hutchison Scientific commence trials of a new method for the assessment of Slaughterhouse Hygiene in Pig and Poultry plants across the UK.  The system was developed by Hutchison Scientific and Bristol University to provide a quantitative assessment of plant operating hygiene.  The system is solely based on information published in peer-reviewed scientific studies and thus targets and monitors only those processing factors that are of proven relevance for food safety.  The system being trialled builds on Hutchison Scientific's proven reputation of providing customised IT-based food safety solutions that are scalable and robust enough to be deployed at national and international levels.  The trial is funded by the UK Food Standards Agency.

 

July 2008:

Hutchison Scientific publish a peer-reviewed paper reporting the results of field-based work undertaken to determine the fate of human pathogens in fresh produce cropping areas as a consequence of using contaminated irrigation water.  The studies also assess the risks of slurry spreading as a airborne vector for the dissemination of zoonotic agents.  The paper reference is:

Hutchison, M. L., Avery, S. M. and Monaghan J. M. 2008.  The air-borne distribution of zoonotic agents from livestock waste spreading and microbiological risk to fresh produce from contaminated irrigation sources.  J. Appl. Microbiol. 105:848-857.

 

April 2008:

HSL are awarded a grant by the EU-funded INDEX project.  The grant is to cover the costs of inputs to our research programme by specialist academics at Universities participating in the scheme.  

 

February 2008:

In collaboration with Harper Adams University College, Hutchison Scientific commence field based studies to determine the distribution and splash-based spread of human pathogens associated with arable soils.  The outputs of these studies will allow the construction of a stochastic model describing the distribution and fate of human pathogens introduced into fresh produce cropping areas vie contaminated irrigation water.  

 

December 2007:

HSL expand and open a new regional office in addition to our original premises in Dundee.  The location of the new office is on the Wolverhampton Science Park in the West Midlands.  The new premises allow a more timely response and better service to our customers based in Southern England as well as the addition of new personnel which expand the range of our expertise.

 

October 2007:

HSL are re-commissioned by Tesco Stores Ltd (UK) to expand the decision support system that was originally devised and implemented by HSL programmers.  The system determines the risk associated with irrigation practices in any one of seven European languages.  Originally devised for ready-to-eat crops, the commissioned expansion is to cover all of the risk categories specified by the Tesco Nature's Choice Quality Assurance Scheme.

 

August 2007:

Mike Hutchison was an invited expert speaker at the Society for General Microbiology Conference in Cardiff, UK.  The subject of his talk was the risks associated with the use of contaminated irrigation water when cultivating ready to eat fresh produce.  In addition, he outlined work involving pathogen transfer via livestock manures when recycling such wastes to land.  During the presentation, the results of  research undertaken by HSL were presented for scrutiny by knowledgeable peers.  The work was favourably received by UK and US-based researchers.

 

July 2007:

Ongoing analyses of the UK industry-FSA meat test results database, which was designed and is currently managed by HSL, has revealed that bacterial numbers on both red meat carcasses during processing and plant environmental surfaces (pre-processing) in UK plants has fallen significantly during the 4 year period between June 2002 and May 2006.  The results reflect changes in production practices since compulsory HACCP was introduced in 2002.  HSL staff were instrumental in validating the sampling and testing methods at the time of introduction.  The paper reference is:

Hutchison, M. L., Thomas, D. J. I., Small, A., Buncic, S. and Howell, M. 2007.  The implementation of compulsory HACCP and its effect on carcass and environmental surface bacterial indicator numbers in UK red meat slaughterhouses.  J. Food Prot. 70:1633-1639.

 

May 2007:

The UK Food Standards Agency awards a contract to a collaboration between Hutchison Scientific and Harper Adams University College.  The study is to define appropriate strategies or areas for further work for the Agency's B17 foodborne illness programme.  A particular area of concern is fresh produce such as lettuce and spinach.  Although fresh produce is not a significant source of foodborne disease in the UK, these types of products are a cause for concern because they are not cooked before they are consumed.  The project will involve reviewing current fresh produce production practices to identify areas which require further research to assist industry and allow it to continue with the production of healthy produce with low risks of pathogen contamination.

 

April 2007:

The UK Food Standards Agency renews the contact for management of the www.ukmeat.org website and the UK national microbiological test results database to Hutchison Scientific.  A scientific paper that formally reports the statistically-significant improvements in carcass and environmental surface microbiological test results in UK plants has been authored by Hutchison Scientific staff and formally accepted for publication in The Journal of Food Protection.  The paper will be published in the July 2007 issue of the journal.

 

March 2007:

HSL publish the results of their research on the effectiveness of current feed manufacturing processes to the elimination of E. coli O157 and stx-harbouring phages.  One significant hazard when processing meat is the infection status of the supply animals with regard to zoonotic agents such as E. coli O157. 

Hutchison, M. L., Thomas D. J. I. and Avery, S. M. 2007. Thermal death of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle feeds.  Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 44:357-363.

 

January 2007:

HSL in collaboration with Bristol University Vet School publish information on the construction and cleanliness of lairages in UK red meat plants.  The lairage pen environment in meat plants is where cattle are held prior to being processed.  The sanitary condition and the construction materials used for lairages are important in terms of contamination of hide,  fleece and skin prior to slaughter.  The paper reference is: 

Small, A., James, C., James, S., Davies, R., Howell, M., Hutchison, M. L. and Buncic, S. 2007. Construction, management and cleanliness of red meat abattoir lairages in the UK.  Meat Sci. 75:523-532. 

 

December 2006:

HSL begin an year-long randomised due-diligence microbiological testing programme in Central and Northern of Scotland on behalf of a major UK retailer.  The contract involves the testing of several thousand samples per year.  Sample are collected during unannounced visits to the retailer's stores.  Goods that are available for purchase by consumers  are collected for microbiological testing to determine their fitness for human consumption.

 

November 2006:

HSL are commissioned by a large UK-based multinational to undertake extensive testing of a new product designed to sterilise medical and veterinary instruments without the use of expensive and dangerous steam-based autoclaves.  The trail will take approximately 6 months to complete and make extensive use of the state-of-the-art laboratory testing facilities recently opened by HSL.

 

October 2006:

HSL, in collaboration with the University of Bristol Vet School, publish information on the prevalence and type of Salmonella present in the lairages of British red meat slaughterhouses. The reference is:

Small, A., James, C., James, S., Davies, R., Leibana, E., Howell, M., Hutchison, M. L. and Buncic, S. 2007. Presence of Salmonella spp. in the red meat abattoir lairage after routine cleansing and disinfection, and on carcasses.  J. Food Prot. 69:2342-2351. 


August 2006:

HSL publish the results of their research undertaken to assess the likelihood of E. coli O157 and stx phages being able to survive the temperatures encountered during the routine processing of animal feeds.  The reference is:

Hutchison, M. L., Thomas, D. J. I., Walters, L. D., and Avery, S. M. 2006. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, faecal coliforms and coliphage in animal feeds. Lett. Appl Microbiol. 43:205-210.

 

July 2006:

HSL commissioned by a private sponsor to evaluate the effectiveness of a new antimicrobial surface coating for use on the infrastructure in UK hospitals.  Specifically, the product is being assessed for its effectiveness in lowering the incidence of nosocomial infections. 

 

June 2006:

HSL publish the results of their research on the risks of ingress of Salmonella into chicken eggs as a consequence of washing.  The paper, originally presented at the 11th Symposium on the quality of eggs and egg products in Doorwerth, Netherlands; was peer reviewed before publication.  The article is in the Journal of Poultry Science and the reference is:

Hutchison, M. L., Walters, L. D., Gittins, J., Drysdale, L. and Sparks, N. 2006. Egg washing using a small-scale bucket washer. World’s Poult. Sci.J. 62:259-267.

 

May 2006:

The UK Horticultural Development Council award HSL, in collaboration with Harper Adams University, a 2 year research grant to assess the microbiological food safety risks associated with ready-to-eat crops such as salads.  The project will involve determination of the fate of pathogens present in contaminated water used to irrigate lettuces, spring onions and other ready-to-eat crops.  The zoonotic agents used by the study are Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli O157.  Crops that are not cooked before consumption require conscientious production to ensure they do not cause foodborne illness.  The results of this study will allow salad growers to make informed decisions about standard practices and, for the first time, allow a realistic assessment of the risks posed by zoonotic agents to be made for salad crops.


April 2006:

The UK Food Standards Agency award HSL a 2 year research grant to design and evaluate a new method for the assessment of slaughterhouse hygiene for use in 500 UK meat slaughterhouses.  Microbiological numbers in food products are a widely-acknowledged method of appraising hygiene levels in manufacturing facilities.  However, work undertaken previously by HSL has shown that between-carcass bacterial variation in UK slaughterhouses is too large on red meat lines and not large enough on white meat lines to provide meaningful information on the processes.  Thus microbiology alone may not be suited for appraising meat production hygiene in slaughterhouses.  This proposal describes work to identify and collect microbiological and other HACCP monitoring information held by red and white meat plants in the UK.  This historical process information will be analysed by dynamic statistical process control methodologies to detect when monitored points deviate from dynamically-calculated hygiene bands derived uniquely for every plant.  The final output will be to determine the suitability of data currently able to be accessed from plants for the assessment of plant operating hygiene. 

 

March 2006:

Tesco Stores Ltd commission HSL to produce a standardised web-based expert system to assess the microbiological risks associated with ready-to-eat salad crops.  Contaminated irrigation water is a potential source of human pathogenic microorganisms.  If contaminated water is used to wash or irrigate produce that is not cooked before consumption, then there exists the potential for ready to eat crops to become vectors of foodborne illness.    Since a large percentage of lettuces and other fresh produce are imported into the UK from overseas, the application supports a multi-lingual interface with seamless translations between 7 languages for registered users.  Users receive advice, interact with the programme and receive their risk assessments in a language of their choice.  Management summaries and duplicate certificates are also provided online in a user-specified language- even if the requested information was entered originally in a different language.  The on-line expert risk assessment system services the 7000+ suppliers of fresh produce to Tesco Stores UK Ltd.

 

February 2006:  www.ukmeat.org

The UK Food Standards Agency award HSL a contract to create a website with technical content that explains the 2006 food safety regulations to the British meat industry and government enforcement agencies in easy-to-understand terms. The new regulations came into force on the 11th January 2006.


January 2006: 

HSL publishes two papers in the Journal of Food Protection.  Both papers were peer reviewed and both relate to the assessment of hygiene and HACCP verification during the slaughter of poultry consequent processing of the carcasses.  The references are:

Hutchison, M. L., Walters, L. D., Allen, V. M., Mead G. C. and Howell, M. 2006. Measurement of uncertainty of numbers of Campylobacter in British poultry slaughterhouses. J. Food Prot. 69: 421-424.

Hutchison, M. L., Walters, L. D., Mead, G. C., Howell, M. and Allen, V. M. 2006. An assessment of sampling methods and microbiological hygiene indicators for process verification purposes in poultry slaughterhouses. J. Food Prot. 69:145-153.