Poultry supplier Moy Park and UK retailer Waitrose have revealed the results of an initiative through which both businesses have been able to ‘significantly reduce’ the presence of Campylobacter in the supply chain.
The companies have published findings that show that as a result of its supply chain intervention trials under the Moy Park / Waitrose joint ‘Farm to Fork’ Campylobacter Action Plan, the proportion of fresh whole chickens with Campylobacter present at the highest level (>1,000 cfu/g) at the end of March 2015 has fallen by two thirds.
Campylobacter is a naturally-occurring bacteria in chickens that can cause sickness if ingested by humans. It is ranked as the second-most common cause of foodborne illness.
“We have been actively working on reducing Campylobacter for a number of years and our focus has been science and research driven,” said Moy Park technical director Ursula Lavery. “We believe that if we can better understand this very complex organism, we stand a better chance of being able to tackle it.
“We have carried out over 30 different initiatives throughout the supply chain and collaborated with experts and academics across the globe to gather data and investigate potential solutions. We have distilled this work down to seven core principles which we believe could produce meaningful reductions on a commercial scale.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
