The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reported a further increase in salmonella cases linked to poultry, poultry products and eggs imported from Poland. In response, the FSA sent a letter to the Food, Animal and Plant Crisis Preparedness Department of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.
Since 2016, the UK has faced a series of outbreaks of salmonella linked to these products. Since 2019, six significant outbreaks have been recorded, resulting in approximately 2,680 human cases and several deaths. The FSA letter, sent in December and recently made public following a freedom of information request, highlights the need to re-evaluate the control measures adopted by Poland.
Despite strengthened control measures introduced by Poland in August 2022, which initially appeared to improve the situation, the FSA noted an increase in cases from May to November 2023, with a total of 66 new cases reported. In light of this, the FSA expresses growing concern about the effectiveness of Polish measures in adequately controlling pollution.
The FSA has called for a comprehensive review of the controls now in place, as well as information on new measures being introduced to prevent the export of contaminated goods to the UK. The company is also considering the possibility of implementing additional safeguards to protect consumers in the UK and is organizing a technical meeting to discuss effective solutions.
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