What is the societal and economic burden of foodborne illness and food hypersensitivity in Scotland?
Background
Foodborne illness reduction continues to be a key strategic priority for FSS. It has been estimated that with 2.4 million individual illnesses and more than 16,000 hospitalisations per year, the annual burden on the UK economy is £9.1 billion. The most important pathogens which are associated with foodborne illness are campylobacter, salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), listeria, and norovirus which can contaminate food at any point in the production chain from farmed animals, the environment, or contact with infected humans. The contamination of food with pathogens which are resistant to antimicrobials is a further concern. Reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a priority for the UK, and government has published a 5-year AMR National Action Plan (NAP) 2024-29 which sets out actions to address this. FSS contributes to work led by Scottish Government to implement these actions in Scotland and monitor AMR in humans, animals, food and the environment. FSS’s strategy for reducing foodborne illness sets out our framework for managing the risks of pathogens in the food chain. The strategy is based on a ‘One Health’ approach; recognising the need to understand pathogen risks in Scotland in the context of veterinary, environment, water and foodborne transmission, which relies on strong partnership working between all relevant stakeholders. Food hypersensitivity is another form of foodborne illness with potentially serious impacts on the health and well-being of those affected. It is estimated that, in the UK, there are up to 2.4 million adults living with a diagnosed food allergy, and 600,000 people diagnosed with Coeliac Disease with many more living with sensitivities and intolerances to certain foods.
This research theme aims to generate evidence that will improve our understanding of the profile of foodborne illness and food hypersensitivity in Scotland in terms of incidence, any demographic, geographical and socioeconomic trends, and the main causes of illness.
Next steps
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Source
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
Related UKRI funded projects
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Expansion of the Food Safety Research Network to create and mobilise new capabilities that act on microbial risk
UK consumers expect their food to be safe, and food producers and government are vigilant and work diligently to ensure safety of food supplies. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports that food-associated incidents are ...
Funded by: BBSRC
Lead research organisation: Quadram Institute Bioscience
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on microbial risk and food safety, but does not specifically address the societal and economic burden of foodborne illness and food hypersensitivity in Scotland.
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FoodSafeR - A joined-up approach to the identification, assessment and management of emerging food safety hazards and associated risks
In Europe, each year foodborne hazards, including bacteria, parasites, bacterial toxins and allergens, already cause more than 20 million cases of illness and thousands of deaths. Foodborne chemical risk, often associate...
Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee
Lead research organisation: QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it addresses food safety hazards in Europe but not specifically in Scotland.
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BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme: Microbes and Food Safety Partner Grant
The Microbes and Food Safety (MFS) ISP will provide an understanding of how microbial threats, such as pathogens and spoilage-causing bacteria, evolve and interact to affect food safety and develop strategies to reduce t...
Funded by: BBSRC
Lead research organisation: Royal Veterinary College
Why might this be relevant?
Fully relevant as it specifically addresses microbial threats and food safety in the UK.