1. Traceability Problems Drazenka Tubin-Delic Deputy Head of Incidents Branch Food Standards Agency TAIEX Workshop on Incident Management – RASFF, traceability, withdrawal and recall procedures, Zagreb 6-7 th June 2011

2. Outline Rationale for traceability Case Studies: feed incident meat incident EC exercise

3. Rationale Interests of stakeholders: consumers government and industry Consumers; protect food safety by effective products recalls, avoidance of specific foods/food ingredients Government; protect public health, control of zoonotic diseases, help prevent food fraud Industry; comply with legislation, prompt action, minimise the impact, protect brand reputation, consumer confidence

4. Practical Problems No specific requirements Global nature of the food chain Complex nature of the food chain

5. Case Study 1: Salmonella in brewer’s yeast Involved 2 batches of brewer’s yeast contaminated with 2 different strains of Salmonella (Virchow and Senftenberg) Used as an ingredient for animal feed prefixes Notified by UK distributor – following testing by its customer Product originated from Portugal 20 tones consignment – distributed to various animal feed manufacturers in UK and Republic of Ireland

6. Case Study 1: Salmonella in brewer’s yeast (cont) Risk Assessment: due to potential patogenicity all animal feed premixes to be quarantined and tested UK supplier very cooperative Traceability was detailed and clear throughout distribution chain All of animal feed mixes and blends – pelleted and heat treated blends were tested (all negative, remained on sale) One blend for horses was not heat treated and pelleted, tested positive and was recalled Two pet products were also recalled FSA informed the EC via RASFF

7. Case Study 1: Salmonella in brewer’s yeast (cont) Outcome: –Excellent traceability records throughout the distribution chain –Prompt action –Minimal quantities recalled

8. Case Study 2: Milk and meat from cloned animal offspring Overview An article in USA (29/09/2010) reported that unnamed UK dairy farmer claimed to be including milk from an offspring of the cloned cow into the food chain EC asked for assurances from the UK that neither meat nor milk from the cloned offspring was entering the food chain Traceability exercise involved tracing 2 cattle embryos from a cloned cow in the USA imported into the UK in 2006 and their offsprings

9. Case Study 2: Milk and meat from cloned animal offspring (cont) Legislation Food from cloned animals is treated as a novel food Reg EC 258/97 – can only be legally marketed if formally authorised No concerns about the safety of the milk/meat from healthy offspring of cloned animals EC did not consider that the novel food legislation applies

10. Case Study 2: Milk and meat from cloned animal offspring (cont) FSA worked closely with Defra (responsible for legislation on importing of cloned embryos) Investigations revealed that three animals have entered the food chain No milk entered the food chain

11. Case Study 2: Milk and meat from cloned animal offspring (cont) DIAGRAM from one of the farm

12. Import of embryos Farm A Bull - B UKxxxxxxxxxxx Born 5/12/06 Farm B Slaughterhouse A Bull A Slaughtered27/7/10 Remainder of herd sold at auction5/3/08 Imported early 2006 8 embryos from cloned animal Bull – A UKxxxxxxxxxx Born 3/3/07 Sold 28/2/08 Bull B Slaughtered23/7/09 38 progeny of Bull B 58 progeny of Bull A Meat disposed of as Category 1 ABP V7 – 4/8/10 4PM Meat gone Still on farm Not being milked (all female) 10 have died Farm C Female – B UKxxxxxxxxxxx Born 2/12/06 Farm C Son* of Female B Born 5/8/09 Sold 27/2/08 Sold 25/11/09 * - calf from implanted embryo – not considered a novel food Being fattened for slaughter. Not used as sire Female A UKxxxxxxxxxx Born 24/4/07 Died 17/5/07 Daughter 2 of Female B (Same owner as above) Female B Moved 29/7/10 Still on farm Daughter of Female B UKxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Born 16/4/09 Still on Farm C Milk not entering food chain V8 – 6/8/10 10AM

13. Case Study 2: Milk and meat from cloned animal offspring (cont) Intensive media coverage and number of interviews given by CEO Collaborative working with Defra and devolved offices Scoping and stakeholders meetings held Correspondence with EC, local authorities, briefings for Ministers

14. Case Study 3: EC exercise – RASFF traceability 2010 EU-wide exercise to test traceability systems and the use of RASFF by EU Member States Held in September 2010 Began with purchase of a pork product from London retailer Product ‘contaminated’ with an unauthorised veterinary medicine product

15. Case Study 3: EC exercise – RASFF traceability 2010 (cont) Required; Tracing the batch of pork used in production of the product back to the farm of origin Identifying any other recipients of the batch in question Identifying all products manufactured with the batch in question

16. Case Study 3: EC exercise – RASFF traceability 2010 (cont) Information provided; ‘XYZ’ brand – Extra trimmed un-smoked back bacon Use by date Pack size Producer code (UK company)

17. Case Study 3: EC exercise – RASFF traceability 2010 (cont) Action Taken: LA for the UK producer contacted to establish traceability (backwards and forwards) UK producer supplied 5 UK retail chains UK producer sourced pork from Spain and Belgium via 2 UK intermediaries (RASFF issued) Identified that pork in question originated from a Spanish supplier able to identify the limited number of potential farms of origin

18. Lessons Learnt The implementation of traceability varies between businesses and sectors It comes with cost But the cost of not having it or having insufficient systems may be severe for consumers, individual companies, governments

19. Thank you very much Hvala na paznji Drazenka Tubin-Delic Incidents Response Branch Food Standards Agency drazenka.tubin-delic@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk