September 19, 2007

New Zealand sets out tough targets to reduce camplylobacter levels

New Zealand is trying its best to live down its title as the "campylobacter capital of the world", with its Food Safety Authority (FSA) setting out tough new poultry processing regulations.

The poultry industry has agreed to meet an interim performance target that would see a 90 percent reduction in current contamination levels and will be effective from April 1, 2008.

This meant that the industry would have to implement the necessary changes to production systems and introduce new food safety technologies before the dateline.

FSA has promised to take strong action against premises that do not meet the target, including the closing down poor performing premises.

The performance target would be re-evaluated when medical data on the bacteria is available.

According to Wikipedia, infection from a campylobacter species is a common cause of human gastroenteritis in the US. The bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps and abdominal pain.