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A UK wide survey of microbiological contamination of fresh red meats on retail sale

Project Code: B18018

02/09/2010

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) UK wide microbiological survey of fresh red meat on retail sale was carried out over a period of 15 months, between March 2006 and June 2007. The objective of this survey was to collect information on the microbiological contamination of the surface of whole cuts of fresh red meat on retail sale in the UK. Samples were tested to estimate the prevalence of a range of foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms. The survey also gathered information on factors such as retailer type, production type, the country of purchased and the type and cut of meat.

This survey will help the Agency to build up a representative picture of the microbiological contamination found on the surface of whole cuts of red meat sold in the UK. The information gathered will enable the Agency to assess the effectiveness of hygiene controls through production and processing up to the point of sale to the consumer on levels of meat surface contamination, and the potential cross-contamination risks to the consumer through handling of these products in the domestic kitchen. The results reported here will also be used to inform the Agency’s Foodborne Disease Strategy to reduce UK foodborne disease and inform food hygiene advice provided to consumers. The data gathered from this survey will contribute to any future work on risk assessment and modelling of the transfer of microorganisms from meat to the kitchen environment.

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