‘More E coli cases likely in Britain’ due to environmental health staff shortages

Outbreaks of foodborne diseases such as E coli will increase in Britain unless urgent action is taken to tackle the serious shortage of environmental health officers, a body representing the profession has said.

The warning comes after more than 100 E coli cases were reported in two weeks, spreading through food distributed across Britain.

Earlier this year, The Guardian reported that the public was increasingly faced with food-related ‘Russian roulette’, with hospital admissions for three common illnesses linked to food poisoning reaching their highest levels in decades.

The number of admissions for salmonella infections in England reached 1,468 between April 2022 and March 2023, NHS data shows, a rate of three admissions per 100,000 people, a record high.

Louise Hosking, Executive Director of Environmental Health at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), said: “Environmental health professionals are the unsung heroes of public health. They are our first line of defense against foodborne illness.”

She said the recent outbreak “underlines the critical role” they play in ensuring food is safe and protecting the public. “Without sufficient staff and resources, our ability to prevent such outbreaks is seriously compromised.”

Hosking called for “urgent action to address the workforce shortages and capacity challenges facing our profession,” adding that the workforce was essential to prevent future public health crises.”

Environmental Health Professionals (EHPs) conduct regular inspections of food establishments to ensure compliance with hygiene and safety standards. They assess hygiene practices, food storage conditions and cooking methods to ensure compliance with health regulations, identifying any sources of contamination in the process.

They will investigate the recent E coli outbreak, interview members of the public and visit buildings involved in the outbreak.

The 113 cases of E coli in Britain since May 25 have been described as part of a single outbreak, most likely linked to a “nationally distributed food product or multiple food products” due to the wide geographical spread of the cases, the agency said.

So far there have been 81 cases in England, 18 in Wales, 13 in Scotland, and one person in Northern Ireland believed to have contracted the disease in England.

E coli is a large group of bacteria, some strains of which produce toxins that can make people seriously ill. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and high fever.

In January, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) raised concerns that local authorities do not have the resources to carry out food checks.

In its review of local government capabilities and capabilities published last year, the FSA said: “There is evidence that local authorities face significant challenges around recruiting and retaining sufficient or suitably qualified and competent staff to carry out official controls and related activities feed.”

The report noted: “Information obtained in November 2020 from national groups representing LAs carrying out official food hygiene and food standards controls in England, Wales and Northern Ireland suggested that more than 50% of LAs had problems with recruiting sufficient or suitably qualified personnel. The use of contractor personnel has also increased.”