Category: News Item

Norovirus is a common cause of infectious gastroenteritis that results in diarrhoea and vomiting. As it’s most common during the winter months, norovirus is sometimes known as the winter vomiting bug, but infections can occur at any time of year.

Norovirus is very easily spread from one person to another. Outbreaks of norovirus where more than two people are infected can commonly occur in places where people are in close contact with one another for long periods of time, such as hospitals, care hones, schools and cruise ships.

The best way to stop norovirus spreading is to ensure people: 

• stay at home for at least 48 hours after symptoms have stopped to avoid further spread 
• use soap and water for hand-washing as alcohol based hand rub may be ineffective against norovirus 
• wash their hands, particularly after contact with someone who is ill, after using the toilet and before preparing food

To find out more about norovirus and how to stop it spreading, visit the NHS Inform website.

In addition, norovirus campaign materials are now available with posters and leaflets being issued to boards. These materials and social media messages can also be viewed on the NHS Inform website.

New EU Official Control regulations came into force across the UK on 14 December 2019. The regulations aim to strengthen public health protection and the integrity of the food and feed chain in the UK.

The EU Official Controls Regulation (OCR) – Regulation (EU) 2017/625, is part of the EU Commission’s Smarter Rules for Safer Food initiative, which aims to modernise, simplify and strengthen official controls across the food chain, including plant and animal production, food manufacturing and supply, and processing and distribution.

The OCR will repeal and replace existing legislation which is integral to the activities of Food Standards Scotland as the national competent authority (CA) responsible for the delivery of official food and feed controls in Scotland, and other food and feed enforcement bodies such as Local Authorities.

This includes Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 regarding official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules; Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 that lays down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin (POAO) intended for human consumption and Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 that lays down rules concerning the increased level of official controls to be carried out on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin. 

While the OCR introduces more prescriptive controls in certain areas, greater flexibility is provided in others, and the overall impacts on the existing food and feed official control regime in Scotland are expected to be broadly policy neutral. An overview of the key elements the OCR will introduce is provided below. 

The Official Feed and Food Controls (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 will provide for the execution and enforcement of the OCR in relation to Food Standards Scotland’s areas of responsibility for food and feed law. 

The Official Controls (Agriculture etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 make provision in respect of official controls and other official activities at border control posts; genetically modified organisms for the purposes of feed and food production; animal health requirements; prevention and minimisation of risks to human and animal health from animal by-products and derived products and welfare requirements for animals. 

Key elements of the OCR 

The OCR seeks to clarify and/or enhance current provisions on the performance of official controls by CAs. The current provisions remain substantially the same, but the key changes are: 

• introducing a new definition of ‘other official activities’. For example, enforcement measures and/or remedial actions following non-compliance; management of lists of registered/approved food and feed business operators or the issuance of official certificates (Article 2); 
• clarifying that CAs are required to carry out regular, risk-based official controls, directed at identifying fraudulent and deceptive practices (Article 9); 
• providing for greater transparency and accountability by CAs through the publication of information about the organisation and performance of official controls (Article 11); 
• requiring CAs to provide FBOs with copies of reports where non-compliance has been detected as well as where compliance has been achieved (Article 13); 
• introducing new provisions to regulate the delegation by CAs of tasks relating to ‘other official activities’ and the conditions to be met for delegating, with the exception of enforcement measures and/or remedial actions following non-compliance (Articles 28 – 33); 
• clarifying that sampling of animals and goods ordered on-line by the CA without identifying themselves can be validly used for the purposes of an official control. CAs must inform the food or feed business operator that such a sample has been taken and, where appropriate, is being analysed in the context of an official control (Articles 35 and 36); 
• introducing harmonised rules for official controls at borders across the different commodities (Articles 47 – 55); 
• amalgamating existing entry documents, such as the Common Entry Document (CED) for high-risk Food Not of Animal Origin (FNAO) and the Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) for POAO, as Common Health Entry Documents (CHEDs) (Articles 56 – 58); 
• Border Control Posts (BCPs) will replace Border Inspection Posts (BIPs), Designated Points of Entry (DPEs) and First Points of Introduction (FPIs). All existing approvals will be withdrawn and re-designated as BCPs in accordance with Article 59 provided that the minimum requirements referred to in Article 64 (i.e. facilities, equipment, etc.) are complied with (Article 61); 
• establishing IMSOC the Information Management System for official controls to link all existing and future IT systems managed by the Commission (e.g. TRACES, RASFF and Europhyt) to enable and efficient exchange of information (Articles 131 – 136). 
• ensuring that the penalties associated with fraud convictions must represent the economic advantage gained by the perpetrator as a result of that fraudulent action (Article 139).

Labelling food and drinks with how much walking or running is needed to burn them off could help tackle the obesity crisis, researchers say.

While pre-packaged food must display certain nutritional information, such as calorie content, there is limited evidence that the approach changes what people buy or eat. 

Researchers involved in a new study have suggested converting calories into the amount of exercise needed to burn them off – for example, labels explaining that you would need to run for:

·       13 minutes after drinking a 330ml can of fizzy drink

·       22 minutes after eating a standard size chocolate bar

·       42 minutes after eating a shop-bought chicken and bacon sandwich 

The team say the approach puts calories in context and may help people to avoid overeating, or spur them to move about more in a bid to burn off the energy they have consumed. They also suggest it might encourage food producers to make products with less calories.

“We think there is a clear signal that it might be useful,” said Prof Amanda Daley of Loughborough University, first author of the research. “We are not saying get rid of current labelling, we’d say add this to it.”

Daley said a simple approach is important since it is thought we only spend about six seconds looking at food before deciding whether to buy it.

“In that [time] we’ve got to have something that you can easily understand and make sense of without having to have a PhD in mathematics to work out what [eating] a quarter of a pizza actually means,” she said.

“If I tell you something is going to take you 60 minutes of walking to burn, I think most people understand that and know that 60 minutes of walking is a long way.”

The study was carried out by researchers from Loughborough University, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham. It was funded by Loughborough University and the National Institute of Health Research and published in the peer-reviewed BMJ Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health on an open-access basis, so it's free to read online here.

This study summarised the results of 14 previous trials of exercise labelling (called PACE, for physical activity calorie equivalent) compared to no labelling or other nutritional labelling. 

However, the research has limitations: most of the studies were based on hypothetical situations or laboratory-based work, and there was a limited number of them.

The studies also varied considerably in how they explored the impact of exercise-based labelling.

Overall, the summary found people selected less calories and ate less calories when their food choice included PACE labelling. However, the results varied a lot between studies and some of the methods used were unclear, meaning we have to be cautious about accepting the results.

Duncan Stephenson, deputy chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, welcomed the research, saying the charity’s own work showed such exercise-based labelling both made consumers think twice about their purchases, and motivated them to think about exercising.

But, he said, “real-life” studies are now needed to test the system’s impact in supermarkets and restaurants.

Nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU in 2018 were caused by Salmonella. This is one of the main findings of the annual report on trends and sources of zoonoses published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

In 2018, EU Member States reported 5,146 foodborne outbreaks affecting 48,365 people.

Slovakia, Spain and Poland accounted for 67% of the 1,581 Salmonella outbreaks. These outbreaks were mainly linked to eggs.

Salmonellosis was the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in humans in the EU (91,857 cases reported), after campylobacteriosis (246,571).

By far the highest increase in 2018 was in the number of West Nile virus infections.

Cases of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease, were seven times higher than in 2017 (1,605 versus 212) and exceeded all cases reported between 2011 and 2017.

Most locally acquired West Nile virus infections were reported by Italy (610), Greece (315) and Romania (277). Czechia and Slovenia reported their first cases since 2013.

Italy and Hungary have also registered an increasing number of West Nile virus outbreaks in horses and other equine species in recent years.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) has become the third most common cause of foodborne zoonotic disease with 8,161 reported cases – replacing yersiniosis with a 37% increase compared to 2017. This may be partly explained by the growing use of new laboratory technologies, making the detection of sporadic cases easier.

The number of people affected by listeriosis in 2018 is similar to 2017 (2,549 in 2018 against 2,480 the previous year). However, the trend has been upward over the past ten years.

Of the zoonotic diseases covered by the report, listeriosis accounts for the highest proportion of hospitalised cases (97%) and highest number of deaths (229), making it one of the most serious foodborne diseases.

The Scottish Government are seeking views on a range of issues which may improve the operational effectiveness of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.

In February 2011, the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) came into force.  This legislation was a Members’ Bill brought forward by Christine Grahame MSP which gave powers to local authorities to help control dogs within communities.  In particular, powers were granted to local authorities to be able to impose dog control notices (DCNs) on dog owners who allowed their dogs to be out of control.  A DCN contains a number of conditions aimed at requiring dog owners to take more responsibility for their dogs.

The regime introduced by the 2010 Act was intended to be preventative in that its aim was to help identify out of control dogs before they became dangerous so that the behaviour of the dog and the dog owner can be encouraged to change to help avoid future dog attacks occurring.

The use of this legislation has come under scrutiny since it was introduced.  As local authorities have become more used to using their powers under the 2010 Act, a number of issues have been raised about the operation of the legislation and this consultation is looking at how the operational enforcement of the 2010 Act may be improved.  

The areas covered within this consultation have all been raised over a period of time as being potential areas where changes may help local authorities and, where relevant, other enforcement agencies in helping keep communities safe from out of control dogs.

There are wider changes to dog control law which will also be considered in the longer-term in a separate review in 2020.  The focus of this consultation is on practical measures that may improve the operational effectiveness of the operation of the 2010 Act with some, though not all, capable of being progressed without new legislation.

In summary, the Scottish Government is committed to seeking to explore the necessary steps to allow local authorities deliver effective enforcement of the 2010 Act and help the 2010 Act legislative regime deliver on its intended purpose of helping prevent future dog attacks by enabling action to be taken against irresponsible dog owners before their dogs become dangerous.

The consultation will close on 15th January and can be found here.

NHS Fife has published a report on the health impacts of flaring at the Mossmorran plant.

The report, which investigates and assesses health-related claims with respect to the Mossmorran plant, is presented in three parts, firstly the report provides summaries both of recent public concerns expressed to SEPA as well as the work examining cancer incidence and/or mortality in the surrounding area. This is followed by a search and review of the literature, carried out by Health Protection Scotland (HPS), of the reported evidence of health impacts relating to flaring elsewhere. 

The report concluded that the “overall impact of flaring on people local to Mossmorran in recent years has not been acceptable and could plausibly affect health in the widest sense”.

NHS Fife have therefore recommended that “every reasonable effort to be made to reduce the frequency, duration and intensity of these events”. 

Scotland’s Chief Statistician has released Diet and Healthy Weight statistics.

This is a compendium publication bringing together data mostly already published by various other sources on obesity, diabetes, diet, healthy living awards and sales of soft drinks, confectionery, biscuits, cakes and pastries.

Main findings

·       In 2018, 65% of adults aged 16 and over were overweight, including 28% who were obese. Levels of overweight and obesity for adults aged 16-64 increased between 1995 and 2008, but have remained broadly stable since then.

·       Since 1998, the proportion of children aged 2-15 at risk of overweight (including obesity) has fluctuated between 26% and 33% (29% in 2018). In 2018, 13% of children aged 2 to 15 were at risk of overweight, with a further 16% at risk of obesity.

·       At the end of 2018, there were 304,375 people diagnosed with diabetes in Scotland recorded on local diabetes registers. This represented 5.6% of the population of all ages. Of all cases, 87.9% (267,615) were Type 2 diabetes. Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes continues to increase steadily.

·       In 2018, 22% of adults aged 16 and over met the five-a-day recommendation for consumption of fruit and vegetables. This figure has remained fairly constant since 2003.

·       In 2018, 15% of children aged 2-15 met the five-a-day recommendation for consumption of fruit and vegetables. This figure shows little variation over time, lying between 12% and 15% each year since 2008.

·       In 2017/18, the percentage of total food energy from all fats was 38.5%, above the Scottish Dietary Goal of no more than 35%. The percentage of total food energy contributed by free sugars (13.8%) also remained higher than the Scottish Dietary Goal of less than 5% of energy.

·       Between 2014 and 2018, the volume of sales of regular take-home soft drinks reduced by 11%, whilst the volume of sales of diet take-home soft drinks increased by 20%.

·       Between 2014 and 2018 sales take-home biscuits and confectionery have increased by 5% and sales of cakes and pastries have increased by 10%.

·       In 2019, 776 catering establishments held the Healthy Living award (HLA) or HLA Plus award, which is a 4% decrease since 2018

For the full statistical publication see here.

A single wildfire on peatland in Northern Scotland could have released carbon equivalent to six days’ worth of Scotland’s total greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, according to new research.

Analysis for WWF by Ricardo estimates the impact of a wildfire on the scale of the one which burnt for almost six days on part of the Flow Country in May this year.
The Flow Country is estimated to store 400 million tonnes of carbon and is under consideration for World Heritage Site status for its globally-rare type of blanket peatland.

The study used an approach based on International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods and estimated that 174,000 tonnes of carbon was lost from the peatland into the atmosphere during the fire.

This figure is the equivalent of 6.2 days of daily average greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland. The fire burned for almost six days in May 2019, across more than 5,000 hectares.

WWF Scotland is now calling for urgent action to protect and restore peatlands, described as “vital carbon stores”, including increased, multi-year funding from the Scottish Government of at least £20 million per year.

“We’re facing twin climate and nature crises. People and nature in the UK are already feeling the impacts of climate change, and we have little time left to act if we are to avoid its worst effects. This analysis puts into stark figures the importance of our peatlands and the huge cost to climate and nature when something goes wrong. Reports suggest that the vegetation is recovering well, at least in some areas, and we’ve had a lucky escape – this fire could have been even more damaging for our atmosphere.

“How we manage and care for our peatlands influences their effect on climate change, as well as fire risk and how the habitat responds, so protecting and restoring peatlands needs to be a vital part of our response to both the climate and nature crises. That’s why we need to see increased, long-term funding for peatland restoration in the next Scottish Government budget.”

WWF Scotland said that the level of climate emissions from peatland wildfires can depend on the severity of the fire and prior condition of the peat. Healthy peatlands in good condition will release around five times less carbon during wildfires, compared to a peat bog that has been drained. More severe fires will leave bare peat, damaging the ability of peatlands to take carbon out the atmosphere, and needing restoration to return the peatland to good health more quickly.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Restoring peatland has an important part to play in delivering the our climate change ambitions. The impact of peatland degradation on climate change cannot be overstated – particularly in Scotland, where around 25% of the country is covered in peat soil. If all of the C02 from that peatland were released then it would be the equivalent of more than 120 years of our emissions being released at once.

“We are committed to delivering the peatland restoration targets set out in the Climate Change Plan. We are currently updating our Climate Change Plan which will set out detailed actions to deliver on our climate change ambitions.

“In addition, as set out in our Programme for Government, with increased temperatures and changes to our weather, there is an increased risk of wildfire in Scotland.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will develop a wildfires strategy to ensure it can respond to these new and increased risks.”

Lisa McCann has been installed as the REHIS President for the coming year. David Duffy, who stood down as President, handed over the Chain of Office at the Institute's Annual General Meeting on 15 November in Edinburgh. Congratulations to Lisa, we wish her all the best in her new role.

The New REHIS Council were also elected at the Annual General meeting, you can view Members of the Council here.

Scientists have detected an exotic tick-borne parasite within sheep in the North of Scotland, according to a new study.

The research, by scientists at the University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, was published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the journal of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). 

The study reports that this is the first time this organism, called Babesia venatorum (B. venatorum), has been identified in animals in the UK, and the first time it has been found in sheep anywhere in the world.

The identification of this parasite in the UK raises concerns for European public health and farming policy, according to the study’s authors. Although some evidence suggests this parasite may be more virulent than the species of Babesia usually found in the UK, the risk of people contracting this infection is believed to be low.

The parasite causes babesiosis, an economically important tick-transmitted animal disease, which is recognised as an emerging infection in humans. In the last two decades, the parasite has been recorded extensively in the Far East (China) and also in Europe with two confirmed human infections in Italy. Fortunately, babesiosis is treatable in most cases, although this depends on rapid and accurate diagnosis.

To conduct the study, scientists collected blood from sheep, cattle and deer in the northeast of Scotland, in areas where tick-borne diseases have previously been detected. DNA from the B. venatorum parasite was detected in the blood of a large number of sheep, which were not showing any signs of disease, and which therefore can be considered as carrier animals.

The scientists believe that B. venatorum may have been carried by migratory birds coming to the UK from Scandinavia, where the parasite has previously been found in ticks collected from the environment and migratory birds.

Dr Willie Weir, Senior University Clinician in Veterinary Pathology, Public Health & Disease Investigation, said: “The presence of B. venatorum in the UK represents a new risk to humans working, living, or hiking in areas with infected ticks and livestock, particularly sheep. Although we believe the threat to humans to be low, nevertheless local health and veterinary professionals will need to be aware of the disease if the health risk from tick-borne disease in the UK is to be fully understood. 

“Our findings follow the recent report of the detection of tick-borne encephalitis virus in the UK. Taken together, these findings signify a change in the landscape of tick-borne pathogens in the UK, and the underlying causes for this need to be investigated.”

First author Dr Alex Gray added: “Our study reveals that sheep can be a natural host for B. venatorum in the UK, which is surprising since we believed roe deer to be the main mammalian host for this parasite in Europe.

“Given our findings, ongoing active surveillance of this parasite in UK livestock would be useful to fully understand the prevalence and transmission of the disease, as such information may be critical for controlling the spread of babesiosis. As sheep are routinely transported large distances, including across international borders, we would also suggest the role that livestock play in transmission of the B. venatorum parasite in continental Europe be re-assessed.”

The paper, ‘Discovery of sheep as a host species for zoonotic Babesia venatorum in the United Kingdom’ is published in the December edition of Emerging Infectious Disease. The work was funded by The Scottish Government’s Strategic Partnership for Animal Science Excellence (SPASE).

Argyll and Bute have issued a food safety warning after 20 tonnes of salmon went missing following a lorry crash.

The salmon disappeared following an accident on the A82 near the Bridge of Orchy where a lorry overturned on 10 November.

Argyll and Bute Council environmental health officers say the salmon might have entered the food chain, is potentially unsafe to eat and should not be consumed.

Anyone who has any of the salmon is advised to dispose of it.

The council said in a statement: “It is potentially unsafe to eat and should not be consumed.

“At the time of the accident the salmon was head on and gutted and of various sizes. It had not undergone processing.

“This salmon cannot under any circumstances be used for further processing because of potential food safety issues and also because it does not comply with the requirements of food law.

“If you are in possession of this salmon you are advised to dispose of it immediately.

“Members of the public are advised that legitimate salmon, that complies with the requirements of food law, will be sold through reputable retail and wholesale outlets.”

Anyone with concerns is asked to call Argyll and Bute Council on 01546 605 519.