The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that confirmed cases in 2014 were 236,851, up 10% (22,067), compared to 2013. There was also a 16% increase in listeria cases, to 2,161 cases in 2014. This disease is often spread through read-to-eat meals, including those with meat, notably fermented sausage.
Mike Catchpole, the ECDC’s chief scientist, said: “It is worrying that campylobacter and Listeria infections are still rising in the European Union. This situation highlights the importance of enhancing listeriosis surveillance through molecular typing, work currently developed by ECDC and EFSA, and strengthening the campylobacter control measures at EU level.”
Marta Hugas, head of EFSA’s biological hazards and contaminants unit, said: “All main actors in the food chain need to act together to improve monitoring at EU level. Such cooperation is crucial to reduce the burden of these two diseases in Europe.”
A 44% fall in salmonella
EFSA and the ECDC pointed to reductions in another meat and livestock-borne disease, salmonella, as evidence that focused action can work. The two organisation’s latest annual report, on ‘trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2014’, did note that salmonellosis cases increased slightly last year for the first time between 2008 and 2014. But this was “partly due to changes in the number of member states reporting” and there had been a 44% fall in salmonellosis reported since 2008, “mainly due to successful salmonella control programmes put in place for poultry”.
Looking at the national breakdown of campylobacter, Germany (admittedly Europe’s most populous country) had the most cases in 2014 – at 70,972; Britain was next with 66,790. But other large EU countries such as France (5,958), Italy (1,252), Spain (11,481), and Poland (652), reported significantly fewer outbreaks. The Czech Republic had proportionately a large number of cases – at 20,902. Broiler meat is the most common source, said the report, with the disease found in 30.7% of 13,603 broiler production units tested in 2104; 31.8% of tested broiler slaughter batches; and 30.3% of tested flocks. This was much higher than in 2013, when the disease was detected in 19.9% of tested broiler units.
As for listeria, the largest number of cases were again detected in Germany, with 609 illnesses in consumers. France had a significant number of cases – 374; and Britain had 201. Italy again reported low levels of cases – just 52, and Poland 86. Sweden had a statistically high rate of cases, at 125. Ready-to-eat products are key sources of this disease, also those including minced meat – bovine, poultry and pigmeat.
Of the 90,238 cases of salmonella detected in the EU during 2014, 16,222 were detected in Germany; 13,478 in the Czech Republic; 8,860 in France; 8,392 in Poland; and 8,099 in Britain. Most member states reported cases associated with meat consumption, primarily pig, broiler and bovine meat.