Meeting

100th ACMSF Meeting 9 February 2022

The one-hundredth meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food will be held at 1.00 pm on 9 February 2022. Virtual meeting (Microsoft Teams).

Last updated: 19 October 2022

Public Attendance at this meeting

Please contact the secretariat (acmsf@food.gov.uk) by Friday 4 February 2022 if you wish to attend. Only part of the meeting is open to the public.

Agenda

1. Chair’s introduction

2. Apologies for absence

3. Declaration of interests

4. Minutes of the 99th meeting (ACM/MIN/99) 

Members will be invited to approve ACM/MIN/99 as a correct record of the Committee’s 99th meeting.

5. Matters arising (ACM/1377)

The Secretariat has produced an information paper summarising action taken on points arising from the minutes of previous meetings.

6. PATH-SAFE: Tracking Foodborne Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Microbes  (ACM/1378)

The committee will receive a presentation on the FSA’s path-safe project

7. FSA's Kitchen Life 2 Project (ACM/1379)

The committee will be updated on the FSA’s ongoing Kitchen Life 2 project

8. 100th Meeting of the ACMSF - Reflections (ACM/1380)

Members will reflect on the work of the committee over the years and have a forward look on future work areas

9. UK Food Security Report 2021 (ACM/1391)

10. Committee update

  • Subgroup on toxin-producing Clostridia in food
  • Subgroup on incidents
  • AMR Working Group

11. Dates of future meetings (ACM/1381)

12. Any other business

13. Public Questions and Answers

Members of the public present will be invited to ask any questions they may have about the Committee and/or to make any statements

14. FSA Surveys on Frozen breaded / battered chicken products *Reserved Business*

The committee will be updated on survey of Salmonella, E. coli and AMR on frozen part-cooked breaded or battered products at retail sale in the UK and social science survey on consumer handling of frozen breaded products

Information papers

ACM/1383: ACMSF Work plan

ACM/1384: Update from other Committees

ACM/1385: Items of interest from the literature

ACM/1386: Botulism in Cattle, sheep and goats literature update (Available on request)

ACM/1387: APHA response to ACMSF Botulism in cattle, sheep and goats reports recommendations *Members use only*

ACM/1388: Emergence of suspected type D botulism in ruminants in E&W (2001 to 2009) associated with exposure to broiler litter *Published Paper*

ACM/1389: Differential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on laboratory reporting of norovirus and Campylobacter in England: A modelling approach *Published Paper*

ACM/1390: Food and You Survey - Wave 3 

 

Summary of meeting minutes

Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (PATH-SAFE): Professor Rick Mumford (Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of Science, Evidence and Research Division, FSA) updated the committee on the cross-government PATH-SAFE project commissioned to track foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistant microbes in all four nations of the UK. His presentation covered the programme aims and objectives, key benefits, programme structure, work streams, integration with existing initiatives, communications and engagement and progress to date. The committee welcomed the project and asked to receive progress reports as the programme develops.

FSA’s Kitchen Life 2 Project: The committee received a presentation on the FSA’s study on food safety behaviour in kitchens. Members agreed that the study was a very useful behavioural survey and asked to receive further updates.

100th Meeting of the ACMSF – Reflections: The February 2022 plenary was the committee’s 100th meeting. Members used this item to reflect on the committee’s work over the years and discussed important issues/challenges that the committee may face in the future.

UK Food Security Report 2021 (UKFSR): The committee discussed the UKFSR (published in December 2021). This report sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020 to present a report on food security to Parliament at least once every three years. Members focussed on the chapter related to foodborne disease and incidents.

Subgroup updates: the committee was updated on the activities of the subgroups on toxin producing clostridia in food, incidents, antimicrobial resistance, and surveillance.

FSA surveys on frozen breaded/battered chicken products: The committee discussed and commented on two surveys relating on breaded/battered chicken products in closed session.

Draft minutes of the 9 February 2022 plenary meeting