What are the risks of food poisoning and how can they be prevented?
All of the food we eat can be a source of contamination. It can cause poisoning through the transmission of bacteria, parasites or viruses of animal or plant origin. Although it is most often benign, in certain cases this poisoning can lead to more serious infections. To protect consumers from the risks of food contamination and prevent potential outbreaks, it is essential to take action at all stages of the food chain, "from farm to fork".
What is a foodborne illness?
A foodborne illness is defined as one with a dietary origin. It occurs when food is contaminated with pathogens, which may be bacteria such as Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes, parasites such as those responsible for toxoplasmosis or giardiasis, or viruses such as norovirus or hepatitis A virus.
These illnesses are most often manifested by mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhoea. However, more severe forms can occur, leading to septicaemia, hepatitis and neurological symptoms.
The micro-organisms most commonly responsible for food poisoning are the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Yersinia.
What is a foodborne illness outbreak?
A foodborne illness outbreak is defined as when food poisoning affects at least two people and is related to the same food source. A foodborne illness outbreak is generally due to the use of contaminated raw materials and/or a lack of compliance with hygiene and temperature measures (a break in the cold/hot chain) during food preparation, or a failure to control cross-contamination during food handling.
Foodborne illness outbreaks are notifiable diseases in France. When they are reported, investigations are initiated to identify the foods in question and enable corrective action to be taken. In France, foodborne illness outbreaks are monitored by Santé Publique France via mandatory reporting, and with data from the National Reference Centre (NRC) for Salmonella, one of the families of bacteria most commonly implicated in these outbreaks.
The main agents responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks are bacterial toxins (produced by Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus), Salmonella and viruses such as norovirus responsible for gastroenteritis.
How can food become contaminated?
Before reaching the consumer's plate, food goes through several steps, all of which are potential sources of contamination:
- primary production: animal husbandry, aquaculture and crop growing;
- product processing: such as milk pasteurisation or the production of mixed salads;
- distribution and marketing of food, including its transport from the place of production or processing to the place of sale;
- final preparation and place of consumption: food handling, storage and cooking in canteens, restaurants and domestic households.
At each step of the process, contamination can occur due to:
- the use of contaminated raw materials, such as meat or eggs contaminated with Campylobacter, which is naturally found in the digestive tract of hens;
- a lack of compliance with hygiene measures during food processing, distribution or preparation. For example, food can be contaminated directly or indirectly (cross-contamination) by sick operators, production plant surfaces or kitchen equipment.
To prevent such contamination, food industry professionals implement good hygiene practices such as staff hygiene and cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, as well as procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.
Did you know?
Pasteurisation is a preservation process that involves heating a food to a given temperature for a given time, to reduce the health risk to humans from any micro-organisms present in this food. Initially developed in the late 19th century to preserve wine and beer, this process was soon applied to milk to combat the transmission of brucellosis from animals.
What can consumers do to avoid food poisoning?
Managing the health risk is primarily based on preventing contamination upstream of the production sectors, before the food reaches the consumer. However, the consumer remains a key player in food safety, because each year, around one third of the foodborne disease outbreaks reported in France occur in the family environment. Some of these cases are due to poor domestic practices (inadequate storage, insufficient cooking or cross contamination via kitchen utensils). To address this, the Agency issues recommendations for consumers on preventing microbiological risks in the home: washing hands regularly, refraining from cooking when ill, cleaning the refrigerator frequently, complying with the cold chain and the use-by date (UBD) of products, cooking food thoroughly, etc.
The foods to be avoided for vulnerable individuals
|
Population category |
Foods to be avoided |
|---|---|
|
Pregnant women |
All raw or undercooked meats. Cooked delicatessen meat products requiring cold storage (e.g. rillettes, pâtés, jellied products). Delicatessen meat products containing raw pork liver (e.g. figatelli, liver sausage), raw or undercooked pork liver. Raw milk Cheeses made from raw milk with the exception of hard pressed cheeses such as gruyère or comté). Soft cheeses with a surface mould (such as camembert or brie) or washed rind (such as munster or pont l'évêque), cheeses sold grated. Raw eggs and products containing raw or undercooked eggs. Raw shellfish, raw fish (sushi, sashimi, taramasalata), smoked fish. Shelled crustaceans sold cooked and requiring cold storage. |
|
Elderly people |
Cooked delicatessen meat products requiring cold storage (e.g. rillettes, pâtés, jellied products). All raw or undercooked meats. Raw milk and cheeses made from raw milk (with the exception of hard pressed cheeses such as gruyère or comté). Raw eggs and products containing raw or undercooked eggs. Raw fish (sushi, sashimi, taramasalata), smoked fish. Shelled crustaceans sold cooked and requiring cold storage. |
|
Children aged 0-5 years |
Honey (infants under one year of age). All raw or undercooked meat (cook minced meat and minced meat products thoroughly). Raw milk and cheeses made from raw milk (with the exception of hard pressed cheeses such as gruyère or comté). Raw eggs and products containing raw or undercooked eggs. Raw shellfish, raw fish. |
|
Children aged 6-10 years |
All raw or undercooked meat (cook minced meat and minced meat products thoroughly). Raw milk and cheeses made from raw milk (with the exception of hard pressed cheeses such as gruyère or comté). |
What is ANSES’s role in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses?
ANSES takes part in the detection, identification and detailed specific characterisation of microbial contaminants; and in the collection and analysis of data on numerous pathogens throughout the food chain. The objectives of its work are to:
- identify and analyse potential reservoirs of pathogens in animals, the natural environment and different ecosystems;
- identify factors and practices influencing levels of contamination within production sectors, such as hygiene or compliance with the cold chain;
- study the behaviour of the bacterium, virus or parasite in different food products;
- identify the main food categories responsible for foodborne infections;
- develop analytical tools for detecting, characterising and quantifying the micro-organisms responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks;
- draw up biological hazard data sheets for food industry professionals, describing the pathogens that can be transmitted through food, in order to help with their control.
This work aims to assess consumer exposure, characterise the risks associated with the presence of these pathogens in food, and identify the most effective control measures to be applied throughout the food chain to reduce these risks. It is ultimately a question of guaranteeing control over the entire food production sector, "from farm to fork".
Numerous research projects on foodborne illnesses have been carried out as part of the One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) coordinated by the Agency.
Health monitoring, an essential link in the food chain
Created in 2018, the Health Monitoring Platform for the Food Chain (SCA) is contributing to the development of an integrated food safety system encompassing all food contaminants and mobilising all the stakeholders in the food chain: competent authorities, health agencies, research institutes, laboratories, catering professionals, etc.
This platform is an essential link for strengthening health monitoring in animal health, plant health and food safety. It fulfils a common objective: to protect consumers from risks associated with chemical or biological contamination of food in order to better prevent outbreaks and health crises.
In doing this it supports its many public and private partners in the design of monitoring protocols and the coordination, promotion and assessment of existing surveillance schemes, as well as those needing to be adapted or created. It also conducts international health monitoring in its area of expertise.