title: The Welsh Food Microbiological Forum and the All-Wales Shopping Basket Sampling Program: a model for the surveillance of microbiological quality in ready-to-eat foods.
abstract: In the United Kingdom, the monitoring of microbiological food quality and the prevention of foodborne disease are the responsibility of a number of different organizations. In 1993, to develop and extend ongoing local collaborations within selected local food groups in Wales (comprising local authorities and the Public Health Laboratory Service), the Welsh Office invited all local food groups in Wales to create a forum to coordinate the sampling and examination of ready-to-eat foods and the centralized collection of results for the whole of Wales. This paper describes the development, structure, and aims of the forum. It also discusses the outcomes of the first nine years of activities, describes the randomized sampling program for ready-to-eat foods that has been developed; and assesses the benefits that have resulted.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Laboratory Service, Llandough Hospital, Penlan Road, Penarth Vale of Glamorgan, CF64 2XX UK. richard.meldrum@phls.wales.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: C Donald
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Worthington
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D005506:Food Contamination; D005513:Food Inspection; D019648:Foods, Specialized / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D016730:Program Development; D014852:Wales