WIREDGOV

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reminding consumers to follow good hygiene practices when storing and preparing vegetables, following two recent E.coli outbreaks.

In Germany this summer, an outbreak involving more than 3,000 cases of E.coli O104 infection was eventually linked to sprouted fenugreek seeds. Cases were also reported in a number of other countries, including France.

Between December and August 2011, 250 cases of infection with E.coli O157 PT8 were reported in the UK. This outbreak is now over and was not linked to the outbreak in Germany, which involved a different strain of E.coli. The Health Protection Agency has reported today that there was an association between illness and handling some loose raw vegetables in the home, which, although safe to eat if handled correctly, could have had soil on them containing harmful bacteria.

The FSA has commissioned research following these outbreaks that looked at consumer attitudes and behaviour towards food safety when preparing vegetables. It shows:

• the perceived risk of food poisoning from vegetables was low, whereas most consumers questioned were more cautious when handling meat
• there was limited awareness that cross-contamination from vegetables to other foods was a food safety risk
• raising awareness of the risk of bacteria in soil would help people understand why they should wash and handle vegetables properly without causing undue concern

Dr Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist at the Food Standards Agency, said: ‘It’s sadly a myth that a little bit of dirt doesn’t do you any harm; soil can sometimes carry harmful bacteria and, although food producers have good systems in place to clean vegetables, the risk can never be entirely eliminated. Control of infection from E.coli O157 relies on an awareness of all potential sources of the bacteria and high standards of hygiene where it may be present.

‘This outbreak is a timely reminder that it is essential to wash all fruits and vegetables, including salad, before you eat them, unless they are labelled ready-to-eat, to ensure that they are clean. It is also important to wash hands thoroughly as well as clean chopping boards, knives and other utensils after preparing vegetables to prevent cross-contamination.’