Listeria outbreak

Listeria outbreak: review and recommendations for food safety in facilities Listeria Outbreak: Review and Recommendations for Food Safety in Facilities Executive Summary In response to a Canada wide outbreak of listeriosis the Provincial Health Officer established the BC Food Safety in Facilities Advisory Group in August of 2008. [...] There are three key elements to a food safety strategy: 1) A food inspection and quality assurance program based on legislation, standards and guidelines 2) Food borne illness outbreak investigations, food seizure, and food recall programs 3) Food safety education programs, both for the food industry and the public Food safety in BC is governed by a comprehensive set of acts, regulations and polic [...] Challenges to compliance include the ability to keep up with the list of “at risk” foods, staff knowledge of food and safe-handling practices, trust issues related to food processing and biotechnology, facility staffing ratios, the unique nutritional requirements and food preferences of facility residents, and the constraints of working to budget. [...] In the context of public health, risk assessment is the process of quantifying the probability of a harmful effect to individuals or populations from a certain human activity, for example, use of specific chemicals or the operation of facilities such as power or manufacturing plants are limited if these will increase the risk of death or illness above a certain threshold. [...] Moving in this direction is worth considering given the potential for offering more control over both the food and safety standards and practices in food production and distribution of the food that enters into the hospitals and other health care institutions.