 Byron will put messages on menus (Pic: Gavin Sanctis) |
The FSA is working with upmarket burger chains to develop
warnings to make consumers aware
of the risks of eating pink burgers.
Proposals released ahead of its board meeting next week reveal
it has been discussing the wording of warnings with chains such as Burger &
Lobster and Byron.
‘Several multi-site food businesses have introduced or are
piloting consumer advisory statements and other chains are discussing with us
the wording for statements that will appear on their menus,’ it states.
Byron, which is planning to display messages on its menus,
told EHN customer safety, as well as choice, was paramount.
‘We are pleased that the FSA recognise the increasing
customer demand for proper pink hamburgers and are balancing this with ensuring
public health remains protected,’ it said in a statement.
It added it preferred to cook its hamburgers pink but accepted
it should be up to the customer.
‘Our quality and safety processes are at the heart of what
we do - we source the highest quality freshly ground and fully traceable beef
from Scotland and we have always had strict supplier controls and product
testing at all stages from field to fork. Our verified rigorous procedures have
stood us in good stead since we opened our first restaurant nearly 8 years ago,
and 16 million proper hamburgers later, our record speaks for itself.’
Burger & Lobster will be placing signs in the entrance
to its building this year (see below). They will state: ‘The government advises that the
consumption of raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs
may increase illness, particularly for those in vulnerable groups such as
children and the elderly.’
Under the proposals restaurants with warning signs and
approved food safety management systems will be able serve rare beef burgers.
The document asks the board to agree that the risk posed by
rare burgers is ‘not so unacceptable’ as to justify removing the adult
consumer’s right to choose to eat it providing ‘a validated and verified food
safety management is applied’.
Restaurants wanting to serve burgers rare will have put in
place a raft of measures including sourcing meat from approved butchers,
rigorous testing and possibly steam cleaning kitchens.
However the FSA stresses the advice to consumers
should remain to cook burgers thoroughly until they are steaming hot
throughout.
‘These controls cannot all be assured for domestic supply
and preparation of burgers, when cooking burgers and similar products at home
or elsewhere (e.g. barbecues) consumers should ensure they observe good hygiene
practices and that burgers are cooked so they are steaming hot all the way
through, that none of the product is pink, and that any juices run clear.’
Jenny Morris, CIEH principal policy officer, said the
requirements would not be suitable for all food businesses.
‘The requirements to ensure “acceptable levels” of risk are
complex and require sophisticated and validated food safety management systems
along the supply chain. For many food businesses contemplating serving rare
burgers this is likely to require considerable investment and change to
existing systems. It is important that the requirements are fully understood
and early discussions with EHOs are recommended, as the approach will not be suitable
for all food businesses.’
Ms Morris added that there was a danger the guidance
would be misunderstood.
‘The science shows that it is possible to reduce the risks
and produce “fairly safe” rare burgers but this requires special controls,
which won’t be in place for the majority of burger production. The danger is
that this will be misunderstood and people will consider that undercooking is
OK with any burger. Clearly this is not the case as recent outbreaks in
Scotland and Northern Ireland have shown.’
Professor Hugh Pennington, who has chaired two public
inquires into E. coli outbreaks, told EHN in July that the risks could not be
managed safely.
‘For me the only alternative to the ACMSF safe cooking
procedure necessary to prevent E. coil
O157and other similar contaminants causing a potentially lethal infection would
be irradiation of the mince. No chance. It has to be the ACMSF,’ he said.
A restaurant in Portsmouth, 6 oz Burgers, is currently
challenging a hygiene emergency prohibition notice preventing it from serving
burgers rare. The case is expected to be heard at Portsmouth magistrates in
October.
Last year 22 people were made ill with E. coli with three
hospitalised after eating undercooked burgers at the SSE Hydro conference
centre in Glasgow.
The 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in the US, which
was linked to undercooked burgers, led to the deaths of four children. It made
732 people ill, with 195 hospitalised.