Over a seven month period in 2010, 1,662 samples were collected from 153 events by Local Authority sampling officers and tested by the HPA for a range of bacteria including Enterobacteriacae, E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

The events where samples were taken included 50 concerts or music festivals, 20 sports events, 39 carnivals, fetes and fairs and 44 ‘other’ events of a type not stated.

Eight per cent of food samples (53/659) were noted as being of an unsatisfactory quality with a further one per cent (seven samples) containing potentially hazardous levels of bacteria including, among others, the presence of Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens. Food poisoning caused by this bacteria most often occurs when food, usually meat, is cooked and then kept warm for several hours before serving.

Of the water samples tested, results revealed that 27 per cent (56/209) contained unacceptable levels of coliform bacteria which can be found in the environment in soil, water and on plants and may also be a sign of faecal contamination. E.coli and/or enterococci bacteria (of faecal origin) were found in 16 samples (eight per cent).

Environmental swabs were taken from chopping boards, food containers, serving counters, utensils, work surfaces and other areas. The study shows that chopping boards had the most unsatisfactory levels of contamination with 60 per cent (84/141) not meeting the required standard. Overall, of 585 swabs from environmental testing 188 (32 per cent) were not of the required standard.

Bacterial levels twenty times what is considered acceptable were found on 56 per cent (97/156) of the cleaning cloths tested. Bacterial contamination is measured in colony forming units with 97 cloths showing the presence of 10,000 colony forming units (cfu) of Enterobacteriacae where the acceptable level is 500 or less. Some cloths also tested positive for E.coli and species of Listeria.

Some events now require vendors to wear a security wristband for the duration of the event as proof of their authorisation to trade. As these are worn permanently it was considered that there may be some risk of cross contamination. Of those tested one fifth (6/33) of wristbands worn by catering staff were contaminated withEnterobacteriacae, E.coli which are all common bacteria found in the human gut and/or Staphylococcus which lives on the skin.

Dr Caroline Willis, a specialist microbiologist at the HPA’s Food, Water and Environment laboratory in Porton Down and one of the authors of the report, said: “Gastrointestinal illnesses are some of the most common problems encountered by people attending festivals and large-scale outdoor events. Various studies have looked at the microbiological standards of food and environments in such locations and although this study showed some improvement in standards of cleanliness there is clearly a lot of room for improvement.

“There are various reasons why hygiene is lower at such events including the volume of customers, use of temporary staff, working in cramped conditions, lack of storage space and difficulties with on-site cleaning. These all combine to lead to greater cross contamination risks which can be increased if levels of personal hygiene are not good.

“Local Environmental Health Departments have done much to improve standards at mobile and outdoor catering premises over recent years but staff need to ensure that both cooking standards and thorough hygiene are rigorously maintained to avoid the risk of people becoming unwell.”

Ends

If you are in need of food hygiene training levels 2, 3 or 4 have a look at a list of our courses or call 020 3371 1516. We run open to public courses and provide in house training

Notes to ed. itors

1. The report can be found from the HPA website's LG Regulation Reports page.
2. E.coli bacteria are only found in the human or animal gut. Contamination with E.coli could have occurred by caterers not washing their hands after using the toilet or by cross-contamination from raw meat that becomes contaminated with faecal material in the abattoir.
3. Species of Enterobacter can be found in the environment and are also part of the normal flora in the human intestines. The presence ofEnterobacteriaceae are indicators of poor hygiene but not necessarily of faecal contamination. They may indicate cross-contamination from raw salad ingredients.
4. Staphylococci are a group of bacteria which are often found on the skin or inside the nose. They can cause disease if the bacteria enters the body via cuts or medical procedures.
5. The Environmental Health officers were asked to collect samples as follows: ready-to-eat foods; a cleaning cloth that had been used in areas where ready-to-eat foods were prepared; and swabs from food contact surfaces including empty, clean food containers used for ready-to-eat food; utensils, chopping boards used for ready-to-eat foods and work surfaces or serving counters. There was also an option to collect a water sample as the customer would receive it or as the caterer would use it from the vendor’s main supply of water; and to take a swab of the outer surface of a food handler’s security wrist band.
6. Of the one per cent of food samples that we considered to be potentially injurious to health four had elevated levels of Bacillus species; one had Clostridium perfringens; one tested positive for coagulase-positive staphylococci and the last one tested positive for Salmonella.
7. The Health Protection Agency is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. On 1 April 2013 the Health Protection Agency will become part of a new organisation called Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health. To find out more, visit our website: http://www.hpa.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @HPAuk or ‘Like’ us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/HealthProtectionAgency [external link].
8. For more information please contact the national HPA press office at Colindale on 0208 327 7901 or email colindale-pressoffice@hpa.org.uk. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted on 0208 200 4400.

Last reviewed: 13 March 2013

Source HPA

Kitchen Tonic is currently moving venue. We should be in our new venue by the end of the month (September).

If you are looking for our open to public courses previously advertised for Sept and Oct, don't worry they will be announced soon. The dates of those courses have had to be postponed due to relocating.

There are only 2 courses open to the public that we have committed to this month and they are:

Level 2 nutrition course: Healthier foods and special diets 20^th Sept.

Level 2 food safety course in catering 24^th Sept

Both of these CIEH courses are held in Aldgate, London.

Course dates will be announced soon, please keep checking back.

As parts of the UK finally welcome some warmer weather, the Food Standards Agency is reminding people to take extra care with their food as temperatures rise.

Bob Martin, food safety expert at the FSA, said: ‘Most of us enjoy barbecues and in this country we don’t often get the weather to enjoy them. If you’re planning a barbecue, don’t let food poisoning bugs ruin it for you. There are some really easy steps you can take to avoid being one of the thousands of people who get food poisoning every year.’

Safer eating tips

• Always make sure you cook chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs until they're steaming hot all the way through. None of the meat should still be pink and any juices should run clear.
• If you're barbecuing for lots of people, cook the meat or poultry in the oven and then finish it off on the barbecue for flavour.
• If you reheat food on the barbecue, make sure it's steaming hot all the way through before serving.
• Marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Don’t re-use the marinade, or pour over cooked meat, unless it’s also been thoroughly cooked first.
• Raw meat and poultry can contain bacteria that cause food poisoning. To avoid cross-contamination, keep these separate from cooked meats and other ready-to-eat foods like salads and desserts. Never use the same utensils or chopping boards for both.
• Always keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot, to stop bacteria multiplying. Don’t leave food that you would store refrigerated standing around in the warm.

Additional advice can be found at the links below.

Leaflet providing hygiene advice on barbecuing during 

NHS Choices BBQ food safety information

Eatwell Scotland BBQ safety information

Source: The Food Standards Agency

CIEH London along with Alehm, the GLA and other interested parties has been working on a Healthier Catering Commitment for London since autumn 2010. The Commitment pilot was launched formally on 14 March 2012.

Healthier Catering Commitment is a voluntary scheme for food outlets in London based on the principle that small changes can make a big difference. The scheme is being piloted across twenty Boroughs in London by catering businesses in partnership with environmental health and public health teams. Please see below for details of the scheme.

Most catering businesses are eligible to take part in the scheme provided they are broadly compliant for food hygiene. The pilot has been initially aimed at those in the fast food sector. Successful businesses have to show they have taken steps to make their food healthier to receive a Healthier Catering Commitment certificate and door sticker.

Kitchen Tonic can help your food business with this commitment. We offer a range of food safety courses up to level 4 advanced CIEH courses.

We also run the ever popular level 2 nutrition award CIEH Healthier Food and Special Diets. This course covers issues relating to lowering salt in cooking, choosing better fats for cooking and increasing fibre.

The level 2 nutrition course covers:

Understanding of nutrition terminology e.g. what is a complex carbohydrate, what is soluble fibre and non heam iron?

Diet and health: how excess food or wrong choices can lead to obesity and lead to heart disease.

Nutritional requirements of different groups: pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, older people,  vegetarians & vegans, slimmers, ethnic and religious groups, people with diabeties, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Catering for other special dietary requirements, including allergy, lactose intolerance and coeliac disease.

Catering for different groups including the elderly in residential care homes and young children at nursery.

Food processing, looking at the effects that processesing has on the nutritional content of food:

Food labelling, understand the importance of accurate nutritional information

This course is taught by our nutritionist who previously worked in the NHS as a registered dietitian.

Call us on 020 3371 1516 to discuss your requirements

All scheme documents relating to this commitment can be found here on the CIEH website