Over the past five years, the UK Food Standards Agency has promoted control of Campylobacter in chickens as a priority for the UK.

In response, Campden BRI will hold a seminar on 21 April to help the food industry understand how to control it.

Campden BRI’s Fiona Cawkell, manager of the Campden Microbiology Proficiency Scheme, said: “Campylobacter food poisoning continues to be the most common foodborne disease in Europe. It remains a public health concern and an economic burden; however, this organism remains a constant threat. We’ve decided to run this seminar to help the industry understand why this pathogen is such a challenge to manage and will cover what is available to them to control it.”

The seminar will cover recent Campylobacter outbreaks and help keep delegates up to date with the latest detection methods and technologies. Speakers include Dr Rosario Romero from Fera Science who will describe a new rapid method for the direct detection of Campylobacter in poultry, and Dr Wayne Anderson from University College, Dublin who will discuss how to achieve control of Campylobacter in the chicken production chain. Dr Janet Corry will also be there to discuss control strategies in the poultry industry.

Cawkell added: “Campylobacter species are unusual. They are easily killed by cooking, disinfection and even exposure to concentrations of oxygen present in the air, and yet they remain the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning in the UK. This is a major concern for the industry. It highlights how important it is for manufacturers to understand the control methods available to them should their foods become contaminated by this virulent pathogen.”

The seminar is most suited to microbiologists, food safety managers, scientific equipment and media manufacturers, hygiene teams, technical managers, retailers and foodservice professionals.