Intertek sees UK E. coli testing increase

The firm is accredited by UKAS to the International Standard (ISO 17025) from its Stoke and Derby laboratories.

Two major E. coli outbreaks came to light this year – one possibly linked to Errington Cheese and the other traced to imported mixed salad leaves which sickened at least 161 people.

Rise in E. coli testing​

Dellah Hickson, Intertek UK pathogen laboratory manager, said it has seen a rise in E. coli O157 testing due to recent outbreaks within the UK manufacturing sector.

“During 2016, the number of scares around foodborne illnesses caused by pathogens or spoilage rose. In order to protect public health and comply with food safety regulations, testing for the presence of potentially harmful microorganisms is crucial,” ​she told FoodQualityNews.

“Our capacity was increased to enable manufacturers and retailers, to manage their E. coli outbreaks, which allowed them to protect their customers, products and brand reputation.​

“The laboratory had previously created capacity for E. coli O157 with the introduction of PCR analysis, this is now utilised more efficiently with current capacity at 50% and can isolate E. coli O157 and STEC big 6.”​

Hickson said turnaround time for E. coli testing is 20 hours but can be reduced to 11 in urgent cases.

“The quality of analysis has always been of a high standard with accurate results,”​ she said.

“Additions to the team have increased industry and contract testing knowledge across the disciplines in food testing, which has allowed us to incorporate new methods, such as further PCR methods in both food and water analysis, giving our clients the advantage of traditional and rapid turnaround.​

“Training is a fundamental part of staff development which ultimately helps us to achieve our overarching business goals, including increasing productivity, by increasing trained staff and utilising method tolerances we are able to meet the market needs.” ​

Traceability demand​

Globalisation of the supply chain means there’s a greater opportunity for food fraud, said Hickson.

“​This can often be seen in a wide range of methods to deliberately mislead the consumer for financial gain from modifying to misrepresented products,” ​she said.​

“In answer to this food traceability is on the increase, tracing products from their origins, and monitoring safety, quality and quantity at every stage of the supply chain, help to reduce risk and ensure your customers get the best.”​

Testing areas include potentially harmful foodborne microorganisms including E. coli, E. coli O157, Campylobacter, Salmonella and Listeria, spoilage organisms such as yeasts and moulds, support with changes in food labelling or potential Legionella outbreaks.  

Intertek has more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 40,000 people in 100 countries.

“​It is vital that we can always provide fast, efficient and reliable microbiological testing to help manufacturers and retailers protect their customers from the serious illnesses caused by E. coli and other foodborne pathogens,”​ said Lynne Agrella, Intertek UK food manager.