E.Coli 0157 Guidance

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� Many types of E. coli are harmless.

� Some types of E. coli can produce toxins (Shiga toxins). These are called Shiga toxigenic E. coli (STEC) and are sometimes called verocytoxin producing E. coli (VTEC).

� There are various strains of STEC, e.g., E. coli O111 and E. coli O157,O104.

� STEC infections cause a diarrhoeal illness.

� Sometimes STEC infections can result in Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS).

� HUS is a severe condition characterised by kidney failure, bleeding and anaemia. It can sometimes be fatal.

A bit about Eschericia Coli

� Commonly found in the

gastrointestinal tract of people

and animals.

� Fimbriae/pili very adhesive to

both food and intestine

� Low dose

� New strains appear to be

emerging regularly

STEC E-Coli

� Lanarkshire 2006

� E.coli O104 Germany 2011

� St Louis 2011

� E.coli O104 U.S (multistate) 2011

� Belfast 2012

� Canada 2012

� Japan 2012

Notable recent outbreaks

� FSA have produced guidance for businesses regarding control of E.coli 0157

� Also produced Q&A document regarding the guidance

� Produced in response to 2nd Pennington report following outbreak in Wales in 2005

� All Environmental Health Departments have had training on the guidance

http://www.food.gov.uk/businessindustry/guidancenotes/hygguid/ecoliguide

Update on E.Coli Guidance

� Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and

equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food.

� Use of separate complex equipment

� Personal hygiene controls

� Cleaning and disinfection controls

Main aspects of the guidance

� Provides advice on how to comply with the legal requirements of

Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 where they are applicable to

controlling cross-contamination, and what is best practice in this

area.

� Legal requirement on food business operators to manage food

safety using Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

principles, by ensuring that hazards are identified and that valid

critical controls are established, implemented and verified. The

guidance clarifies ways to do this regards to E.coli:

� If alternative methods of control other than those stated in the

guidance are in place they must be supported by robust

verification.

Legal Status of the guidance

� Controls link to avoidance of

contamination, the

decontamination of foods that

may already contain E. coli O157

or other microbiological

pathogens is not covered

� Controls through cooking or

other processing steps are

covered in existing guidance

published by the Food Standards

Agency.

About the guidance

� Applies in all circumstances where raw

foodstuffs, which have the potential to

be contaminated with E. coli O157, are

handled in the same establishment as

ready-to-eat food.

� Raw meat

� Raw root vegetables, fruit or other

vegetables likely to have been

contaminated by soil, excluding products

that are specifically sold as ready-to-eat.

� Raw milk

� Also includes outer packaging

About the guidance

� E. coli O157 occurs naturally in the digestive

tract of healthy animals

� Can also be found on the animal’s hide,

fleece, feathers and skin

� Bacteria shed from the animal in their faecal

matter and can contaminate the surfaces of

raw meat during slaughter, dressing and

packaging

� Mincing of meat can spread surface

contamination throughout the product and

provides an opportunity for the growth of

bacteria

Meat

� Leafy and root vegetables that have not been supplied

as ready-to-eat should be classed as a potential

hazard in terms of cross-contamination of E. coli

O157, particularly if soil or manure is visible.

� Vegetables and fruits that have been supplied to food

businesses as ready-to-eat, should already have been

subjected to validated procedures to ensure bacterial

load is reduced to levels that do not present a risk to

health.

� Bagged ready-to-eat fresh produce does not need to be rewashed, the rewashing of products supplied as

ready-to-eat could introduce an additional cross-

contamination risk.

Fresh produce

� Separation in storage and display

accommodation, including

refrigerators and freezers, should

always be sufficient to ensure that

the designated clean areas for

ready-to-eat foods are fully

protected from the risk of E. coli

O157 contamination.

Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food

Where separate units are not provided, the clean storage

areas should be clearly identifiable and sufficiently

separated to ensure that the hands and clothing of staff are

not exposed to contamination when loading or unloading

ready-to-eat foods.

� Separate equipment

� Separate staff

� Designated areas, cleansable surfaces

� Decontamination of equipment – correct processes,

separate cleaning equipment

� Packaging

� Cash registers

� Consider purchase, storage, preparation, display

Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food

� Under no circumstances should it be considered safe

to use the same complex equipment, for both raw

and ready-to-eat foods.

� Where, for example, vacuum packing of ready-to-eat

foods is carried out, the vacuum packing machine

for this purpose should be located in a designated

clean area where there is no risk from cross-

contamination via splashes, hands, clothing,

packaging or other equipment and should never be

used for packing raw foods.

Use of separate complex equipment

� Vacuum packing machines,

� Slicers,

� Mincers

� Temperature probes

Examples of complex equipment

� Staff trained in effective handwash, including

when to wash hands

� Adequate supply of handwashing basins with hot

water, soap and drying facilities available.

� Hands should not come into contact with taps

after they have been washed

� Hygienic hand rubs do not necessarily remove

visible dirt and should never be used as a replacement for handwashing

Personal hygiene controls

� Minimise hand contact with food

� Adequate changes of clothes

� Washing of clothes

� Reporting of illness

� Exclusion

Personal hygiene controls

� Do not re wash ready to eat produce

� Wash ‘dirty’ produce in designated sink

� Advocate rubbing/scrubbing of vegetables

as opposed to use of chemical sanitisers,

where possible

� Care re splashing and contamination of

surfaces

Cleaning and disinfection: produce

� BS EN 1276:1997 or the BS EN 13697:2001

(or equivalent)

� Sanitisers only for general cleaning CANNOT

be used if a surface will have dual use, even

then not as single stage for food contact

surfaces

� Training staff to fully understand the

instructions and use, including dilutions,

contact time

� Cleaning procedures in place

� Steam as suitably controlled

� Commercial dishwashers

Cleaning and disinfection: surfaces and equipment

� Should not use same equipment in raw food areas and

ready to eat

� Separate cloths must be designated for use only in clean

environments

� In situations where cloths etc are to be re-used in clean

areas, the laundering should be carried out at a suitably

high temperature. A wash cycle that achieves 82°C or

higher, can be considered acceptable.

� Procedures, including contractual arrangements, must

ensure that cycles employed for the washing of cleaning

cloths are not changed to lower temperatures as a result

of energy efficiency reviews.

Cleaning: cleaning equipment