The dramatic increase in Irish cases of E.coli 0157 food poisoning necessitates the introduction of control measures throughout the food chain and intensive training for all food handlers, according to a Food Safety Authority of Ireland report.
It was "a miracle" that the State had avoided a major outbreak of E.coli 0157, particularly as serious deficiencies in food safety had been identified, said the FSAI chief executive, Dr Patrick Wall, yesterday after the report's publication.
Such was the often deadly nature of the new bacterium that farmers, abattoirs, food processors, hotels, restaurants and caterers had a duty of care to ensure their product was safe.
Dr Wall warned that if they did not fulfil these obligations they would be found to be negligent.
Successful control of E.coli 0157 bacteria by the adoption of new "codes of best practice" drawn up by food microbiologists and public health specialists who contributed to the report would have the added bonus of dealing with other food-borne organisms, notably salmonella, said the FSAI director of operations, Mr Alan Reilly.
The report, a preventive strategy to reduce the risk of major E.coli outbreaks such as the one in Scotland in 1996 which caused 21 deaths, sets out "a series of recommendations that should be implemented throughout the food chain". These include labelling of "high-risk meats", especially minced meats and beef-burgers, and new measures which those caring for vulnerable groups should adopt.
It also calls on the Government to make E.coli 0157 a notifiable infection as soon as it is identified by both laboratories and doctors, and to amend legislation to make it mandatory that abattoirs have in place what is known as the HACCP food safety management system.
Such is the risk from the bacterium, Dr Wall said, that abattoirs should immediately introduce this system voluntarily, as some have already done.
The report, The Prevention of E.coli 0157 Infection - a shared responsibility, outlines a new protocol for public health management of cases to ensure rapid identification of the bacterium and efficient introduction of preventive measures.
Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, chairwoman of a working group which compiled the report, underlined the risks to the very old and the very young. A three-year-old boy died from E.coli 0157 in 1997, the lone Irish fatality from the infection, though last year 17 children attending a creche became infected.
She said with children bloody diarrhoea was a telling symptom, along with illness persisting over a week. It was important to drink fluids, take stool samples "early on" and seek medical advice.
The report finds that, even with the best practices, raw meat may still contain E.coli 0157, so new labelling regimes are required. "High-risk raw meat products" should be labelled with a warning: "This product may contain dangerous bacteria. It must be thoroughly cooked before eating."
Dr Wall said some may consider this extreme, but such warnings were used in the US. The report was not telling people not to eat minced meat but to be careful. There should also be clear cooking instructions for consumers to the effect that such meat should be cooked until juices run clear and no pink meat remains.
The Labour health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the report showed the Government "cannot afford to take any chances with these lethal bacteria" and must move to ensure consumers were sufficiently protected by introducing the practical measures outlined by the FSAI.
The Green Party spokeswoman on food and agriculture, Ms Paula Giles, criticised the report for not addressing why such food-borne infections were increasing. This, she said, related to the intensive and centralised way food and animals were being produced.
