Author: Peacock Carter

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has published revised advice to consumers on eating raw or lightly cooked eggs.

Young children, pregnant woman and the elderly can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked eggs that are produced under the British Lion Code of practice.

The revised advice follows a report from the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food* which highlighted the major reduction in the risk from Salmonella in all UK hens’ eggs since 2001 and showed a particularly low risk for eggs produced with food safety controls applied by the British Lion Code of Practice.

This scientific review has highlighted the significant progress made by egg producers in Scotland and across the UK in reducing Salmonella in hens.

The FSS advice can be viewed here.

Glasgow City Council‘s pilot project to tackle issues around commercial waste in the city centre is to be rolled out in phases across the Glasgow over the next 17 months.

The pilot project began on April 3 in eight city centre locations with the primary aim of substantially reducing the adverse impact of the then current waste collection practices in parts of the city centre to enhance the appearance of the area and make a visit more pleasant.

In addition, the pilot project was expected to tackle issues of accessibility, recycling and reducing the amount of spilled waste and litter on city centre streets and lanes, all with a view to potentially expanding the scheme to the rest of the city centre and out across Glasgow.

Throughout the duration of the pilot project, the council engaged with city centre stakeholders and a survey found strong support from local residents and businesses. The latter period of the pilot project saw the eight locations completely clear of the 460 commercial waste containers that had previously been stored on the streets of these areas.

An evaluation of the pilot project, carried out by Keep Scotland Beautiful on behalf of the council, found an improvement in environmental conditions resulting in the highest cleanliness score in a decade as a result. This and other data compiled by the council showed a clear need for the project to continue and be extended into other parts of the city.

Councillor Kenny McLean, City Convener for Neighbourhoods, Housing and Public Realm, said: “I am delighted by the decision to make a phased roll-out of this project across Glasgow. The pilot showed how adopting these measures made the streets of the selected areas in the city centre cleaner, greener and safer, and I look forward to the expansion of the scheme making Glasgow an even more pleasant place for everyone who lives, works or studies in the city, as well as for our visitors. I would like to thank all of our partners in the city centre who have worked with us to deliver the pilot project, and we will continue to engage with residents, business and other organisations to ensure the project is equally successful across the rest of Glasgow.”

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick said: “The new arrangements are undoubtedly challenging for some businesses, but this has to be laid against the concerns raised by many of our members about the impact on both appearance and accessibility of large commercial waste containers left in the street during the working day. The city centre pilot has been a success, and we welcome the scheme’s expansion to other parts of the city.”

The timetable for the project’s expansion was informed by public complaints and where enforcement action had to be taken for related issues. Activity in each roll-out stage will be targeted initially at higher population areas in the major and town centres in each part of the city.

Tick and Lyme disease symposium
Christine M Morrison, Chartered EHO, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

NHS Western Isles and the Scottish Health Protection Network held a symposium on Tick and Lyme disease at Sgoil Lionacleit, Isle of Benbecula on 11 August 2017. Over sixty delegates from a number of different organisations attended, in person and across nine videoconference sites.

The day was chaired by Dr. Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health, NHS Western Isles. Presentations were given by Professor Dominic Mellor and Dr. Gill Hawkins, both Health Protection Scotland and Professor Lucy Gilbert from the James Hutton Institute, which examined ticks and Lyme disease from the human, veterinary and ecological perspectives. Dr. Roger Evans, NHS Highland spoke about laboratory testing and diagnosis of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Isabell MacInnes, NHS Western Isles shared information relating to the local epidemiology of Lyme disease and Graham Charlesworth spoke about preliminary findings of “sheet dragging” studies undertaken in areas of South Uist.

The afternoon session allowed delegates to discuss aspects of prevention and awareness, what professionals need to know, tick ecology and management of the environment to help reduce Lyme disease. The event concluded with the identification of priorities for future investigation and research.

REHIS is delighted to announce that one of its newest centres, Cowal Community Hospital has successfully delivered its first REHIS training course.

Candidates working throughout the Isle of Bute locality undertook the REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene Course on 30 August in Rothesay on the beautiful Isle of Bute.

The course was delivered by Pauline Murty, Hotel Services Manager. Pauline recently undertook both the Intermediate Food Hygiene and Advanced Diploma in Food Hygiene courses at City of Glasgow College. She also successfully passed the REHIS Intermediate Train the Presenter course last year.

Comments from the nine candidates were favourable, most of them saying they found the course interesting, well delivered and the content relevant to their job. Pauline stated “I delivered my first Elementary Food Hygiene course on Wednesday 30th August 2017. I felt a mix of both excitement and anticipation.

I was also audited on the day by Raymond Hubbocks (Training Adviser), who guided me and has been a fantastic mentor to me. I also feel I benefitted from undertaking the Train the Presenter course held by REHIS. This course gave me a lot of hints and tips for effective presenting of the course and also gave me confidence. I’m happy to report that all candidates I trained passed.”

The European soft drinks industry, represented by UNESDA, has announced that it will voluntarily cease sales of drinks containing added sugars in secondary schools across the EU.

The new voluntary move expands on the existing decade young policy of banning soft drinks from primary schools and will impact around 50,000 secondary schools and more than 40 million young people.

The commitment for secondary schools is being introduced across the 28 European Union member countries, with complete implementation planned for the end of 2018. From then onwards, UNESDA members will only provide no  and low calorie soft drinks to secondary schools.

Members of UNESDA include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Red Bull and Britvic. The pledge builds on a 2006 policy to not sell any beverages in primary schools or advertise to children under 12.

It was reported that there has been a 95% compliance with this pledge, covering around 28 million pupils.

The initiative responds to the changing food environment and acknowledges that special care is required in schools.

WHO Europe’s report Adolescent obesity and related behaviours, trends and inequalities 2002-2014 confirms the recent notable decreases in reported consumption of sugared soft drinks.

All food premises in England should be forced to display ‘Scores on the Doors’ ratings, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

The body that represents councils in England says the move should be made as part when EU laws governing food safety are converted into UK law after Brexit.

Businesses in Wales and Northern Ireland are already legally required to display their rating. However, in Scotland and England, businesses do not have to display the rating they have been awarded.

The Food Standards Agency conducted a survey in 2012 that showed 43% of restaurants and other food businesses in England put up a score, this dropped to 12% for businesses with a low rating between zero and two.

The government plans to convert EU law into domestic legislation as part of its EU (Withdrawal) Bill and councils want ministers to take that opportunity to strengthen regulation by making all restaurants and takeaways in England display their “scores on the doors” for food hygiene. This would not only improve consumer confidence and raise standards, but also reduce the need for, and therefore cost of, enforcement action by councils.

The LGA believes that businesses – including restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops, supermarkets and delicatessens – that fail to comply should be fined or prosecuted.

An investigation run by the Guardian and ITV News found a supplier of chicken to Britain’s supermarkets had been altering food-safety records.

The investigation involved placing undercover reporters in a 2 Sisters Food Group factory in West Bromwich for 12 days. Their allegations were published on September 28 and captured evidence of:

• Workers altering the date in which the bird was slaughtered.
• Workers altering the location in which the bird was slaughtered, potentially hampering authorities tracking the origins of the meat.
• Workers picking up fallen that had fallen onto the floor and returning it to the production line.
• Returned meat being repackaged and sent out once more to retailers.
• Workers dumping chicken slaughtered on a variety of dates into the same batch.

2 Sisters Food Group are suppliers for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Mark & Spencer, Aldi among others and it is estimated by The Guardian that a third of all chicken products eaten in Britain have been supplied by the company.

The Food Standards agency issued a statement on September 29, the day after the allegations came to light, stating they had sent inspectors into the 2 Sisters Food Group plant on September 28 in response to the evidence presented by the two news organisations. The inspectors had found ‘no evidence of breaches’ but their investigation would continue.

Heather Hancock, Chairman of the FSA said: “It is the responsibility of a food business to ensure that the food it sells is safe and what it says it is. We take any allegations of inaccurate labelling and breaches in hygiene regulations very seriously.

“Should we find any evidence of any risk to public health, any products on the market which we believe to be a cause of concern will be urgently removed from sale. We would always encourage consumers to take note of our advice on safe cooking, handling and storage of chicken and other poultry meat.”

2 Sisters Food Group have published a statement on their website advising that they have launched their own internal investigation at the West Bromwich plant. Their investigation has shown instances of non-compliance with their quality management systems and have since decided to temporarily shut operations at the site.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) hosted its conference in Glasgow on the 13th September with the aim of strengthening the partnership approach across Scotland’s health and safety system.

The conference was supported by the Scottish Government, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Healthy Working Lives (HWL), Scottish Hazards, Scottish Chamber of Safety and others, the event sought ideas and commitments from attendees as to the part that they and their organisations could play to improve health, safety and work.

The central theme of “acting together” was discussed in the context of delivering the Scottish Plan for Action on Safety and Health. Launched by the Partnership on Health and Safety in Scotland (PHASS) last year, the plan sets out the devastating impact that work-related fatal accidents, injury and ill-health have on individuals and families, the damage caused to businesses and the demands placed on the NHS and other public services. Indeed, the cost to the Scottish economy is estimated to be £1.04billion a year in health and care costs, loss of income and productivity.

The one-day conference, which took place at the Hilton Glasgow, was chaired by George Brechin, a non-executive board member of the HSE and chairman of PHASS. It featured an opening address by Clare Adamson MSP, convenor of the Cross Party Group on Accident Prevention and Safety Awareness at the Scottish Parliament.

Presentations were given by Martin Reid, unit head, Fairer Workplaces, Scottish Government; Martin Taulbut, public health information manager, NHS Scotland; Robert Atkinson, organisational lead (occupational health and safety), NHS Health Scotland, Health and Work Directorate, HWL; Dave Watson, head of policy and public affairs, Unison Scotland; and, Karen McDonnell, head of RoSPA Scotland and RoSPA’s occupational health and safety policy adviser.

Ian Armstrong, health and safety manager, Multiplex Construction Europe, and Amanda Stewart, health and safety adviser, William Tracey Ltd, were both interviewed about their approach to preventing injuries and ill-health at work.

Discussion tables focused on the fair work agenda and its links to health and safety; health outcomes by occupation and industry in Scotland; and the health and safety needs of an ageing workforce.

Karen McDonnell said: “My hope is that the connections we made and strengthened through the conference will help us move forward as a health and safety community across Scotland. Going forward together is a great thing, and we have a great community. We now need to keep the pace going.” Sarah Jones, head of the HSE’s Scotland Director’s Office, said: “The Scottish health and safety community has been acting together since our partnership was first established in 2005. Recently we've taken it to another level working across governments, business sectors, trade unions, professionals and the voluntary sector. That's what HSE's Helping GB Work Well strategy is all about. RoSPA's support in bringing everyone together at this conference cemented existing networks and created a platform for fresh ideas to improve health, safety and work."

Agenda and speaker presentation can be found here.

Source: https://www.rospa.com/media-centre/press-office/press-releases/detail/?id=1542

Key stakeholders in tobacco and health in Scotland have agreed for the first time that using e-cigarettes is definitely less harmful than smoking tobacco. Based on the current evidence, the consensus is also clear that using e-cigarettes while still smoking (dual use) does not provide health benefits. NHS Health Scotland led the consensus with over 20 partners in the NHS, Scottish Government, third sector and academia. Its aim is to clarify any confusion around the harms and benefits of using e-cigarettes.

Recent research has shown an emerging perception among the general public that e-cigarettes are just as harmful to health as tobacco is. This is a not the case – we know from current evidence that vaping carries less risk than smoking tobacco. So it would be a good thing if smokers used e-cigarettes instead of smoking tobacco. To be absolutely clear, e-cigarettes are useful for public health and health service purposes only as a potential route towards stopping smoking completely. Access to e-cigarettes needs to be controlled carefully; they are not products for children or non-smokers.

Dr Andrew Fraser, Director of Public Health Science at NHS Health Scotland.

The theme of this year’s World Environmental Health Day is ‘Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality.

REHIS will participate in the International Federation of Environmental Health’s World Environmental Health Day 2017 activities by arranging and co-funding, with the City of Edinburgh Council, the installation of an Electrical Vehicle Charging Point (ECP) outside a public library which is adjacent to an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in Edinburgh. The AQMA includes a street often referred to as one of the worst polluted streets in Scotland. The ECP will be REHIS and IFEH badged and the legacy created will demonstrate a commitment to improving external air quality. Any surplus from the installation of the ECP will be used to co-fund a local air quality project with staff and students at two local primary schools.

To find out more visit the IFEH website World Environmental Health Day

REHIS’s Environmental Health Promotion Committee is inviting members to participate in their publication review survey and submit their views regarding the Institute’s publications.

The Institute produces a number of publications.

The highest profile of these publications is the quarterly journal Environmental Health Scotland and over the past few years have also published a monthly electronic newsletter.

A variety of other documents are published on a more ad hoc basis promoting the Institute and/or environmental health more generally.

The Environmental Health Promotion Committee is reviewing the Institute’s publications strategy and is keen to get an insight into the views of the membership.

The link to the on line survey has been sent to members who have signed up to e-alerts and to receive email updates from REHIS.

If you are a Member and not on the list yet you can sign up here.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland (DWQR) has established a project to review policy to drive achievement of a reduction of exposure to lead in drinking water. The project seeks to identify enablers and strengthen or introduce mechanisms with a range of stakeholders and influencers for the removal of lead service pipes and plumbing.

In drinking water quality legislation, the limit for lead in drinking water has progressively reduced over the past 30 years to 10µg/l (micrograms per litre). Over the same period however, concerns have developed within Scotland’s health professional community that even the 10 standard may be too high and there is an increasing view that we should strive to reduce lead levels in drinking water as far as is practicably possible.

The specific aims of the project are to:

• Ensure there is a clear and shared understanding of legislation as it relates to duties on drinking water suppliers

• Engage with health officials to identify common themes and to align drinking water quality policy with health policy

• Work with stakeholders to identify areas where policy can be aligned to ensure the risk of exposure to lead in the environment is minimised

• Investigate the various policy options available and work with our SG colleagues in determining the best way forward

A clear area of focus for the project has been to review information provided by key stakeholders on lead.This revealed a substantial variation in the existence of any information at all, across influencer organisations. Where it existed, the quality of information varied and its accessibility presented a confused position to anyone needing to find out about the issue in Scotland. A significant element therefore has been to establish clear and authoritative information on the impact of lead on health. This is now hosted on the NHS Inform website and all stakeholders have taken on board the need to have on their own websites, agreed signposting information and links to the NHS Inform information.

A key sector of consumers at risk from lead in drinking water are children and babies. They absorb more lead than adults due to their growing bones and other organs within which lead can be deposited and accumulate as they develop. It is important therefore that we can have certainty that Schools and Nursery premises are free from lead. It is believed that attention to the removal of lead had been carried out in the past but in support of the project, local authorities have undertaken surveys of all their owned properties to ensure there is certainty around the issue.

A further survey is to be undertaken on behalf of DWQR to ensure a similar lead free status can be confidently expressed for all private schools and independent nursery premises.

The Care Inspectorate has been an integral part of the drive to ensure the risk of exposure to lead within care premises is addressed and they have adopted measures in their design principles for nursery provision and registration of new care services to ensure the importance of having a lead free water supply is actioned. Their Summer 2017 edition of Care News carries an item highlighting the issues.

As part of the drive to provide clearer information to consumers, Scottish Water has reviewed all of its’ letters and information leaflets relating to lead.

In conjunction with Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF), and the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) they have produced a briefing note for housing Developers to raise awareness of the need to check for lead pipes and the removal of pipes and fittings where they are found. The note also highlights the illegality of using leaded solder on water supply pipework within the home and promotes awareness of the dangers of lead arising from the use of inferior quality brass fittings and taps.

Key stakeholder and influencer organisations identified for communications and contributions in relation to the project include: Scottish Government Health, Health Protection Scotland, Care Inspectorate, CPHMs, EHOs, REHIS, SG Water Industry, Scottish Water, SG Procurement, SG Housing, SHBVN, SG Building Standards, SG Estate, Historic Environment Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland, COSLA. Shelter Scotland, SNIPEF, WRAS.

If you require further information or wish to provide comment, please contact DWQR; Telephone: 0131 244 0190 e-mail: regulator@dwqr.scot