Bird flu and pandemic influenza

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers that the outbreak of avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.

Like the WHO, the FSA advises proper handling during food preparation. When handling raw poultry, the person involved in the food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean surfaces and utensils in contact with the poultry products. Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has previously (26 October 2005) issued advice on the importance of thoroughly cooking poultry and eggs. This reiterates long-standing advice about cooking poultry and eggs thoroughly to kill pathogenic bacteria The Agency is not aware of any reports of people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs and recognises that the current risk is from people having contact with live birds that have the disease.

For people, the risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating poultry or eggs. Poultry can include chicken, duck, goose, turkey, guinea fowl and so on.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) asked the Advisory Committee on Microbiological Safety in Food (ACMSF), which provides independent expert advice to Government on questions relating to microbiology and food, to consider recent developments since it last discussed avian, or bird, flu in 2003.

The ACMSF met in December 2005 to consider current information on avian flu and the conclusions from a recent meeting of influenza virologists and epidemiologists, which was chaired by Dr David Brown of the ACMSF. The review group examined current information on avian flu and its implications for food borne transmission in the UK.

The committee concluded that the recent information on avian flu had not changed its current risk assessment and, following the meeting, the ACMSF's advice therefore remains as follows:

‘The risk of acquiring avian influenza through the food chain is low, and there is no direct evidence to support this route of infection. Evidence from human infection indicates that direct contact with infected birds is the main risk factor, and that consumption of infected chickens has not been identified as a risk factor.

'Several factors will contribute to preventing or limiting infection following ingestion of viruses, including lack of appropriate receptors, and non-specific defences such as saliva or gastric acid. Proper cooking will destroy any virus present in meat or eggs.’

EU and UK controls are in place aimed at preventing the occurence of bird flu in UK.

Contacts:

Nick Postma                             Keith Tilbrook

01609 532167                            01845 525111

nick.postma@northyorks.gov.uk  county.caterers@northyorks.gov.uk

Further Information

Food Standards Agency

UK Resilience Info (Cabinet Office)