Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington says 'Keep Your Food Cool for those Summer Picnics' in food safety week

9.29.00pm GMT Thu 14th Jun 2007

Tom Brake MP supports food safety week

Tom Brake gave his support to the Food Standards Agency's 'Bugs Like It Hot' theme for Food Safety Week (11 - 17 June) which was launched on Tuesday 12 June at a Parliamentary reception at the House of Commons.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising people, when eating outdoors during the hot summer months, to keep food cool at all times - particularly when travelling in a car to a picnic. Bugs that cause food poisoning can multiply at a fast rate in the back seat or boot of a car in hot weather. Every year there are around 850,000 cases of food poisoning in the UK with a peak in summer months.

Tom was photographed at the FSA's 'Bugs Like It Hot' stand at the House of Commons and was briefed on the FSA's top tips to the public planning picnics this summer:

"People should not have their fun day out spoilt by an unpleasant case of food poisoning," Tom said. "They can help prevent this happening by making sure their food is kept cool - avoid delays in getting shopping home and, if having a picnic, keep food in a cool bag with some ice bricks or frozen cartons of fruit juice."

Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, told the audience of Peers, MPs and representatives of the food industry and consumer groups:

"If you've ever had food poisoning, particularly one of the nastier versions of it like salmonella, you'll know it's not a trivial thing. In 2005 around 850,000 people were affected -19,500 of whom were hospitalised and over 500 died."

The FSA is trying to combat this trend by stressing the importance of keeping food cool, particularly in warm weather, she said.

The FSA's main achievement to date was the reduction by 19.2% in foodborne illnesses since 2000, a reduction that translates to: 1.5 million fewer cases; 10,000 fewer hospital beds taken up; and an estimated cost saving of around £750 million.

Notes to Editors:

A food poisoning attack due to staphylococcus aureus or bacillus cereus can strike within two to six hours; salmonella infections take 12 to 48 hours, while the average incubation period for campylobacter is two to five days, and possibly up to ten days.

Food poisoning may not always result from the last thing eaten.

Bacillus cereus is a bacterium that can grow quickly on cooked rice or other foods if not properly cooled. It produces toxins (poisons), which cause the symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting.

In July 2000, the FSA set itself a target to reduce foodborne diseases in the UK by 20% by 2006. The provisional number of laboratory reported cases of the foodborne pathogens monitored by the Agency in 2005 is 53,052. This represents a reduction of 19.2 % compared with the baseline figure for 2000. Over the same period it is estimated that the total number of cases have been reduced by 1.5 million at a cost saving of £750 million, representing a considerable improvement in public health and significant economic benefits.

An experiment on the increase in temperature of food in the cabin and the boot of a car in sunny weather was commissioned by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority for the New Zealand Foodsafe Partnership. Details of their findings and recommendations for keeping food cool can be found at: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/publications/news-current-issues/frontpage-8-feb-chilly-bags.htm

The Food Standards Agency has a five-year strategy to promote the safe handling of food in the home using 4Cs food hygiene messages (Cooking, Cleaning, Cooling and avoiding Cross contamination). The '4C's strategy', can be found at:

http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/fdscg/4cstrategy

This is the first year that the Food Standards Agency has been the lead partner in National Food Safety Week.