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Campylobacter – strategy for industry to reduce its occurrence
12 February 2008
Campylobacter is a bacterial organism that lodges in the walls of the intestine and causes the gastro-intestinal disease campylobacteriosis. The two types that affect most people in New Zealand are Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.
Illness can strike within two to five days of infection but can take up to 10 days. Symptoms include general muscle pain; stomach cramps; feeling sick; headache or fever followed by sudden watery or bloody diarrhoea. This may last from one day to a week or longer (usually five days).
Poultry meat is recognised as a primary source of Campylobacter in New Zealand. Our comprehensive risk management strategy aims to reduce Campylobacter levels in chicken meat by:
• finding ways of controlling it throughout the food chain
• focusing on hazard-based controls in the medium term
• focusing on risk-based controls in the longer term
• finding out how common poultry is as a source compared to other sources
• establishing current baselines to show changes over time
• promoting good hygiene practices to consumers
• working with the international science community on all aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
The following links provide information about our strategy and the science behind it.
About Campylobacter
• Consumers FAQs about Campylobacter
• Campylobacter fact sheet (prepared for MOH by ESR, May 2001) [PDF 29KB]
Our Campylobacter strategy
• Campylobacter in poultry – Risk management strategy 2007–2010
• Updates on the Campylobacter risk management strategy
• Diagram showing initiatives to control Campylobacter
• A background to Campylobacter
• Preventing cross-contamination from meat, especially raw poultry
• Keeping Campylobacter out of the retail chain – Food Focus August 2007
• Grant for further Campylobacter research – Food Focus May 2007
• Research programmes on track – Food Focus May 2007
• Campylobacter in the spotlight – Food Focus February 2007
Media releases about Campylobacter
• New Code of Practice for Poultry processing sector – 15 January 2008
• NZFSA announces additions to Campylobacter strategy – 12 September 2007
• Progress in fight against Campylobacter bacteria – June 2007
• Grant will help fund Campylobacter research – April 2007
• NZFSA moves to curb Campylobacter rates – November 2006
• NZFSA produces update on work related to Campylobacter – August 2006
• NZFSA considers fight against Campylobacter – July 2006
• Campylobacter problems not easily resolved – July 2006
• NZFSA concerned at increase in human Campylobacter infection – July 2006
Science reports on Campylobacter
• Domestic food practices in New Zealand: Freezer survey – May 2007 [PDF 1.2MB]
• Risk profile: Campylobacter jejuni/coli in mammalian and poultry offals – Jan 2007 [PDF 777KB]
• Risk profile: Campylobacter jejuni/coli in red meat – Jan 2007 [PDF 903KB]
• Domestic food practices in New Zealand: Temperatures of meat and poultry during transport after purchase by consumers – June 2006 [PDF 1.08MB]
• Transmission routes for Campylobacteriosis in New Zealand – May 2006 [PDF 784KB]
• Risk profile: Campylobacter jejuni/coli in poultry (whole and pieces) – June 2003 [PDF 1,283KB]
• A systematic review of the aetiology of human Campylobacteriosis in New Zealand – July 2005 [PDF 420KB]
Guide for the poultry industry
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
68-86 Jervois Quay
PO Box 2835
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 2500
Fax: +64 4 894 2501
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