LACOTS/PHLS
Co-ordinated Food Liaison Group Studies:
The Microbiological
Examination of Ready-to Eat Organic Vegetables from Retail Establishments
SK Sagoo, CL Little and RT Mitchell.
PHLS
Environmental Surveillance Unit, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ.
On behalf of the Local Authorities Co-ordinated Body on Food and Trading Standards and the Public Health Laboratory Service.
Summary
There has been a significant expansion of the UK organic market since 1998/99. Of the various commodity sectors making up the organic market, fruit and vegetables is the largest sector and this has been reflected in an increased interest in their microbiological safety. During May and June 2000 a microbiological study of uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetables was undertaken to determine the microbiological quality of these organic vegetables on retail sale, and is the first study to provide such information. Examination of organic vegetables from supermarkets, health food shops, farmers' shops or markets, greengrocers, market stalls, and box schemes revealed that the vast majority (3185 of 3200; 99.5%) were of satisfactory/acceptable quality whilst only 15 (0.5%) were of unsatisfactory quality. Unsatisfactory results were due to Escherichia coli and Listeria spp. (not L. monocytogenes) levels in excess of 102 cfu/g. L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli O157 were not detected in any of the samples examined, indicating that overall agricultural, hygiene, harvesting and production practices were good.
Introduction
Organic food is grown using those principles and techniques that predated the introduction of modern agrochemical and intensive farming techniques7. On-going food concerns, specifically about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and Genetically Modified (GM) foods are without doubt generating a significantly increased interest in organic food5, 6. The word 'organic' may only be applied to crop products that have been grown, processed and packaged in accordance with the requirements of the European Community (EC) Regulation 2092/912 (implemented in the UK as the Organic Products Regulations 1992, as amended)21. All food sold as organic must come from growers, processors or importers who are registered and subject to regular inspection. In the UK, the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) ensures that the various UK certification bodies, such as the Soil Association, properly apply the Regulation. EC legislation for organic produce also require labels to indicate, by a unique code number the organic certification body (e.g. in the UK, 1 to 7) with which the producer or packer is registered9.
Organic food is a small but growing part of the food industry in the European Union, and its existence provides an element of consumer choice, for which there is growing demand18. From 1993 to 1998/99 the sale of organic food in the UK has risen markedly from £100 million to £390 million19. The largest sector is fruit and vegetables, and in 1998/99 this commodity area accounted for £175m (45% of the total), of which 82% was imported. Overall, 70% of organic food was sold in supermarkets during 1998/9919. With an annual market growth of 50%, it is estimated that by 2005 organic food in the UK will account for 20% of the total food market with a potential value of over £1billion by early 20015,17.
Manure and other animal wastes are widely used in agriculture, both organic and conventional. The use of manure as fertiliser, whether in organic or conventional agriculture, gives rise to concern about the possible contamination of produce with microbial pathogens, especially Escherichia coli O1577. However, the Soil Association recommendations for manure storage and treatment on organic farms may lead to enhanced reductions to the levels of pathogens in stored manures that are to be spread to land19. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) view is that there is currently no firm evidence to support the assertion that organic produce is more or less microbiologically safe than conventionally farmed produce4. A recent review by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food also concludes that at present there is insufficient information to state categorically whether the risk of pathogen transfer to produce on organic farms differs significantly from the risk associated with conventional farming practice8.
As a consequence of the lack of information concerning the microbiological quality of organic vegetables, despite their increased consumption, the Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards (LACOTS) / and the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) Co-ordinated Food Liaison Group programme undertook a study on the microbiological quality of uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetables on retail sale in the UK. The study was specifically not a comparative study of organic and conventionally produced vegetables.
Materials
and Methods
Sample Collection
Ready-to-eat organic vegetables collected from retail outlets and doorstep delivery schemes were examined in PHLS and non-PHLS laboratories in the UK between 1st May and 30th June 2000 according to a standardised protocol and reporting system. Vegetables included in the study were those that could be consumed without any cooking or further preparation by the consumer other than portioning as necessary and light washing and/or scraping. Vegetables sampled (~150g) were those that were grown in close proximity or in contact with soil (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, cress, lettuce, mushrooms, radish, spring onions, watercress), and other salad vegetables, such as cucumber, pepper, and tomato. Samples were collected from supermarkets, health food stores, greengrocers, farmshops/markets, market stalls, doorstep box-scheme deliveries, and warehouse/storage area box-schemes by staff from local Environmental Health Departments and were transported to the laboratory in accordance with the Food Safety Act 1990, Code of Practice No 710.
Information on the organic vegetable
samples and outlets was obtained by observation and enquiry and recorded on a
standard proforma. This included the country of origin, organic certification
body number, packaging, and details concerning the retail display of the
product.
Sample Examination
Four representative
(~25g) samples from the organic vegetables were required for microbiological
examination (Table 1). Samples were collected and examined within their ‘best
before date’ or ‘display date’. Gram-negative pathogenic organisms if detected would be
sent to the Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens (LEP), Central Public Health
Laboratory (CPHL). Listeria monocytogenes at levels at 103 cfu/g or more
and other species of Listeria at
levels of 104 or more were sent to the Food Safety Microbiology
Laboratory (FSML), CPHL for further characterisation.
Table 1. Methods for the microbiological examination of
ready-to-eat organic vegetables
|
Microorganism |
|
Microbiological
Method |
|
Escherichia coli |
Enumeration |
PHLS Standard Methods for Food Products F2013 |
|
Listeria spp. |
Enumeration |
Based on BS EN ISO 11290-2: Part 2 19982,
using Oxford Listeria Agar incubated at 30°C
in place of PALCAM agar incubated at 37°C |
|
Listeria
monocytogenes |
Enumeration |
Based on BS EN ISO 11290-2: Part 2 19982,
using Oxford Listeria Agar incubated at 30°C
in place of PALCAM agar incubated at 37°C |
|
Campylobacter spp. |
Detection |
PHLS
Standard Methods for Food Products F2114 |
|
Salmonella spp. |
Detection |
PHLS Standard Methods for Food Products F1315 |
|
Escherichia coli O157 |
Detection |
PHLS Standard Methods for Food Products F1716 |
Results
A total of 3200 uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetable samples were examined by 43 laboratories (30 Public Health Laboratories (PHLS) from all 8 PHLS Groups; 13 non-PHLS) in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Fifty-two Local Authority Food Liaison Groups participated in this study (Annex 1) and samples were submitted by 350 Local Authorities. A further 352 samples did not fit the criteria described in the study protocol and were not included in the analysis as they were either not ready-to-eat vegetables or were fruit.
Microbiological Results
E. coli was
detected in 1.5% (48/3200) of ready-to-eat organic vegetable samples, and was
present at 102 cfu/g or more in 0.3% (11) samples (Table 2). Listeria
spp. (not including L. monocytogenes)
were detected in 0.2% (6/3200) samples, and were present at 102
cfu/g or more in 0.1% (4) samples. Further characterisation of the two Listeria spp. found in excess of 103 cfu/g revealed the
organisms to be L.
innocua (from a sample of watercress) and L. seeligeri (from a sample of
radish). L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and E. coli O157 were not detected in any of
the samples examined.
|
|
ND* in 25g |
D§ in 25g |
<20† |
20-<102 |
102 - <103 |
103 - <104 |
104 - <105 |
105 - <106 |
106 - <107 |
³107 |
NE¶ |
Escherichia coli
|
|
|
3150a |
37 |
9 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
Listeria spp.
|
|
|
3192a |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
L. monocytogenes
|
|
|
3198a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
Campylobacter spp.
|
2883 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
317** |
Salmonella
spp.
|
3196 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
|
Escherichia coli O157 |
3193 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
** These were not
examined due to unavailability of the selective supplement cycloheximide during
May - June 2000
a, lower limit of
detection 20 cfu/g
Microbiological
Quality of Uncooked Ready-to-eat Organic Vegetables
Based on the PHLS Microbiological Guidelines for some
ready-to-eat foods sampled at the point of sale12, 3146 (98.5%) of
3200 ready-to-eat organic vegetables were satisfactory, 39 (1%) acceptable, and
15 (0.5%) were of unsatisfactory microbiological quality. E. coli and Listeria spp.
(not L. monocytogenes) were the
microbiological parameters associated with unsatisfactory results. None of the samples examined were of
unacceptable microbiological quality (Figure 1 and Table 3).
*,
N/A, Not applicable
A major feature of
the data is that of the microorganisms tested (Table 2), none were found in
3146 of the 3200 (98.5%) samples examined.
As this forms the vast majority of the data, information collected on
the organic vegetable samples and outlets (presented below) had no significant
effect on the microbiological quality of the vegetables with regard to samples of unsatisfactory quality (data not
shown), i.e. no correlation was found between samples of unsatisfactory quality
and product information.
Product Information
Types of Ready-to-eat Organic Vegetables
A total of 21
different vegetable types were examined (Table 4). The majority of the
vegetables examined were grown in close proximity or in contact with the soil
(74%; 2349/2300) with the remainder being non-soil contact vegetables (26%;
851).
Table 4. Types of ready-to-eat
organic vegetables (n=3200)
|
Organic vegetable type |
Number of samples (%) |
|
|
Those
grown in close proximity or in contact with soil (n=2349): Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Cress Lettuce Mushrooms Radish Spring onions Water cress Other (spinach, leeks,
shallots, chard) |
209 159 478 70 11 193 12 415 425 17 87 65 208 |
(7) (5) (15) (2) (<1) (6) (<1) (13) (13) (<1) (3) (2) (7) |
|
Non
soil contact vegetables (n=851): Cucumber Pepper Tomato Other (babycorn, cherry
tomato) |
221 184 428 18 |
(7) (6) (13) (<1) |
|
Total |
3200 |
(100) |
Type of Outlet
Over three-quarters
(79%; 2528/3200) of samples were collected from supermarkets, 214 (7%) from
health food shops, 175 (5%) from farm shops/markets, 70 (2%) from greengrocers,
54 (2%) from doorstep box-scheme deliveries, 37 (1%) from market stalls, and 24 (1%) from
warehouse/storage areas. Other outlets (butchers,
garden centre, nursery shop, and organic product specialist) accounted for 76 (2%). For
36 (1%) of outlets visited this information was not recorded (Fig. 2).
Packaging & Display
Of the ready-to-eat
organic vegetables sampled (3200), 2586 (81%) were pre-packed vegetables and
567 (18%) were unwrapped or loose on sale. For the remaining 47 (1%) of samples
this information was not recorded. The vast majority of samples obtained from
supermarkets (96%; 2434/2528) were pre-packed. Most of the samples (96%;
3067/3200) collected were displayed and stored in a clean environment as judged
by the Sampling Officer, while 59 (2%) were not. For 74 (2%) of samples this
information was not recorded. A quarter of samples (24%; 770) collected had
visible soil contamination, however most did not (73%; 2339). For the remaining 91 (3%) of samples this
information was not recorded. Of the samples that did have visible soil
contamination most were unwrapped or loose on sale (78%; 590/770).
Country of Origin
Of the 3200 organic
vegetables sampled, the majority were imported (70%; 2240) with most
originating from Spain (31%) and the Netherlands (15%) (Table 5). Of
the 30% (943) of samples produced in the UK, nearly a quarter (24%; 226/943)
originated in England, however most (67%; 634/943) samples specified UK only.
Table
5. Country of origin of ready-to-eat organic vegetables collected (n=3200)
|
Country of Origin |
Number of samples |
(%) |
||
|
United
Kingdom (n=943): - England - Northern Ireland - Scotland - Wales - UK |
943 |
226 12 8 63 634 |
(30) |
(24.0) (1.0) (1.0) (7.0) (67.0) |
|
Other
EC Countries (n=1774): Austria Belgium France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Netherlands Portugal Spain |
6 47 90 1 2 2 176 464 7 979 |
(<1) (2) (3) (<1) (<1) (<1) (5) (15) (<1) (31) |
||
|
Third
Countries (n=316): Argentina Canary Islands Channel Islands Egypt Israel Mexico Morocco New Zealand Tunisia USA Zambia Zimbabwe |
8 38 1 23 162 51 1 10 3 17 1 1 |
(<1) (1) (<1) (1) (5) (2) (<1) (<1) (<1) (<1) (<1) (<1) |
||
|
Produce of two
or more countries (not UK) |
19 |
(<1) |
||
|
Not recorded |
148 |
(5) |
||
|
Total |
3200 |
(100) |
||
Identification
as organic (Certification Body Number)
The majority (81%;
2585/3200) of organic ready-to-eat vegetable samples were identified as organic
by labelling containing a UK certification body number (Fig. 3), and of these
almost three-quarters (74%; 1919) were by the Soil Association. The remainder (11%; 364) was identified as
organic by other EC Member State certification bodies. However, for 252 (8%) of
samples this information was not known.
Discussion
This study has shown that the vast majority (99.5%) of the uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetables sampled at retail in the UK were of satisfactory/acceptable microbiological quality. Only 0.5% were classed as unsatisfactory according to published guidelines12. Unsatisfactory results were due to E. coli and Listeria spp. (not L. monocytogenes) counts at 102 cfu/g or more. E. coli is a faecal organism and both E. coli and Listeria spp. are environmental microorganisms that are found in soil and water. Therefore, vegetables may easily become contaminated with these bacteria. However, the absence of pathogens (L.monocytogenes, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli O157) and the low incidence (1.5%) of E. coli and Listeria spp. associated with these organic vegetables indicates that overall agricultural, hygiene, harvesting, and production practices were good.
The greatest growth in organic sales has been through the main multiple retailers (supermarkets). More consumers will have access to these outlets on a national basis than can be reached by other distribution methods, such as farmers' markets and box schemes5. In this study over three-quarters (79%) of vegetables were collected from supermarkets and this may reflect the continued phenomenal growth of the organic market that has occurred since 1998/99 (annual market growth of 100% during the last two years) 5, 17. Overall, 80% of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in the UK are imported3. A lower proportion (70%) of imported vegetables was examined in this study. However, vegetables were collected during the months of May and June and this may reflect market supply due to the issue of seasonality. Presentation of organic vegetables sold by supermarkets is generally in a pre-packed format. This is partly to do with the need to retain the integrity of the organic vegetables as well as to provide information to consumers via labelling3. This is reflected by the findings in this study where most (81%) of the organic vegetables sampled were pre-packed.
Between 1992 and 1999 foodborne outbreaks made up over a third (35%; 1408/4083) of general outbreaks reported from England and Wales, and of these foodborne outbreaks, ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables accounted for a very small proportion (4.3%; 60 affecting 2170 people)11. This is the first such study to provide information on the microbiological quality on uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetables. This study was not a comparative study and therefore did not aim to produce conclusive evidence that organically produced vegetables are more or less microbiologically safe than those produced conventionally. Such an investigation would also require a detailed microbiological risk assessment to be undertaken. However, all food sold, whether organically or conventionally produced must by law satisfy food safety requirements20. The information and experience gained from this study could help to determine the requirements for further studies into this product area. In addition, information from the study can be used to help formulate microbiological guidelines.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the
staff in the Environmental Health Departments throughout the UK who collected
samples for this study, and all the staff in both PHLS and non-PHLS
laboratories who performed microbiological examination. Thanks are extended to
FSML (CPHL) for typing isolates, to David Lock at LACOTS for co-ordinating the
participation of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), to Francis Blake from
the Soil Association for advice on the sampling protocol, and to Lillian
Hucklesby for entering the data.
References
1.
British Standards Institution (BSI). BS EN ISO 11290-2
1998. Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs-Horizontal method for the
detection and enumeration of Listeria
monocytogenes. Part 2: Enumeration method, 1998. London: BSI.
2.
Council Regulation 2092/91/EEC of 22 July 1991 on organic production of
agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural
products and foodstuffs. Official Journal
of the European Communities 1991; L198/1-15.
3.
Durbury R: Fruit and Vegetables.
In Handbook of Organic Food Processing and Production, (Eds. Wright S, and
McCrea D). London: Blackie Academic Press, 2000, pp 78-91.
4. Food Standards
Agency (FSA). Position Paper: Food Standards Agency view on organic foods, 23
August 2000. < www.foodstandards.gov.uk/pdf_files/organicview.pdf
>
5.
House of Commons, Agriculture Committee Second Report: Organic Farming,
I. 24th January 2001. London: The Stationary Office.
6.
House of Lords Select Committee on The European Communities Sixteenth
Report. Organic Farming and the European Union, 20th July 1999:
London: The Stationary Office.
7.
Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). Organic Food.
International Food Safety News 1999; 8 (1): 2-6.
8.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). A study on Farm
Manure Applications to Agricultural Land and an Assessment of the Risks of
Pathogen Transfer into the Food Chain, 2000. London: MAFF.
9.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Organic Foods. Food Safety
Information Bulletin 1998; 101 pp 85-87.
10.
Food Safety Act 1990, Code of Practice No 7: - Sampling for Analysis
and Examination. London: FSA, 2000.
11. O’ Brien S,
Mitchell RT, Gillespie I and Adak GK (PHLS CDSC) The Microbiological Status of
Ready-To- Eat Fruit and Vegetables 2000. Discussion Paper ACM/476 of the
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF).
<www.foodstandards.gov.uk/pdf_files/papers/acm476.pdf>
12. Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). Guidelines for the Microbiological
Quality of Some Ready-To-Eat foods sampled at the Point of Sale. Communicable Disease Public Health 2000;
3: 163-137.
13. Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). Standard Methods for Food
Products. Direct Enumeration of Escherichia
coli. Standard Method: F20, 1998. London: PHLS.
14. Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). Standard Methods for Food
Products. Detection of Campylobacter spp.
Standard Method: F21, 1998. London: PHLS.
15. Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). Standard Methods for Food Products.
Detection of Salmonella spp. Standard
Method: F13, 1998. London: PHLS.
16. Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). Standard Methods for Food
Products. Detection of Escherichia coli O157
by Immunomagnetic Bead Separation. Standard Method: F17, 1998. London: PHLS.
17.
Soil Association (SA) Memorandum Submitted by the Soil Association
(F62) In House of Commons Second Report, Organic Farming, II. 24th
January 2001. London: The Stationery Office.
18.
Soil Association. Briefing sheet – Food Safety and Organic Products ‘
Dispelling the Myths’ 2000. Soil Association, Bristol.
<www.soilassociation.org.uk>.
19.
Soil Association. The Organic Food and Farming Report 1999. Soil
Association: Bristol.
20.
The Food Safety Act 1990 (Chapter 16) London: The Stationery Office.
21. The Organic Products Regulations 1992, SI No. 2111. HMSO: London.
Annex 1: Participating PHLS Groups, Laboratories
and Local Authority Food
Liaison Groups
and number of samples
Table 1a. Participating PHLS Groups, Public Health
Laboratories and number of samples
|
PHLS group |
Public Health
Laboratory |
Number of samples* |
|
|
Chelmsford |
152 |
|
|
Luton |
151 |
|
|
Norwich |
148 |
|
London & South east |
Ashford |
126 |
|
|
Brighton |
216 |
|
|
London FWE Unit1 |
343 |
|
|
Reading |
108 |
|
|
WEMS2 |
126 |
|
Midlands |
Birmingham |
81 |
|
|
Coventry |
123 |
|
|
Shewsbury |
100 |
|
|
Stoke |
64 |
|
North west |
Chester |
181 |
|
|
Preston |
146 |
|
North |
Hull |
62 |
|
|
Leeds |
59 |
|
|
Middlesborough |
67 |
|
|
Newcastle |
89 |
|
South West |
Bristol |
147 |
|
|
Exeter |
128 |
|
|
Gloucester |
74 |
|
|
Hereford |
49 |
|
|
Plymouth |
59 |
|
|
Truro |
65 |
|
Trent |
Leicester |
128 |
|
|
Lincoln |
159 |
|
|
Sheffield |
40 |
|
Wales |
Cardiff |
60 |
|
|
Carmarthen |
51 |
|
|
Rhyl |
30 |
|
Total |
3332 |
|
1, London Food, Water & Environmental
Unit, CPHL
2, Wessex Environmental Microbiological
Services
Table 1b. Participating Non-PHLS Laboratories and
number of samples
Non-Public
Health Laboratory
|
Number of samples* |
|
Aberdeen City Council |
13 |
|
Belfast City Hospital |
81 |
|
Dumfries Galloway |
2 |
|
Dundee City Council |
9 |
|
Fife Area Laboratory, Kirkcaldy |
15 |
|
Glasgow Scientific Services |
31 |
|
Kettering Laboratory Services |
4 |
|
Kings Lynn & West Norfolk |
8 |
|
Northumberland General Hospital |
1 |
|
Public Analyst Aberdeen |
1 |
|
Royal Alexandra, Paisley |
2 |
|
Worcester Royal Infirmary |
32 |
|
Worcestershire Scientific |
21 |
|
Total |
220 |
*, Includes the 352 samples (not ready-to-eat organic vegetables) not included in the analysis.
Table 1c. Local Authority Food Liaison Groups and
number of samples
Local
Authority Food Liaison Group
|
Number
of samples* |
|
Berkshire Food
Co-ordinating Group |
64 |
|
Cambridge Food Liaison Group |
41 |
|
Cheshire Food Liaison Group |
101 |
|
Cornwall CEHOS Food Sub-Group |
65 |
|
Cumbria IEHO Food Safety Group |
5 |
|
Derbyshire Food Liaison Group |
20 |
|
Devon Food Safety Group |
118 |
|
Dorset Food Group |
35 |
|
Durham Food Liaison Group |
17 |
|
East Sussex Food Liaison Group |
86 |
|
Essex Food Group |
103 |
|
Gloucester Food Safety Group |
74 |
|
Greater Manchester Food Liaison Group |
73 |
|
Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Food Advisory Group |
84 |
|
Hereford & Worcester CEHOS Food Working Group |
105 |
|
Herts & Beds IEHO And Chief Officers Food Group |
84 |
|
Humberside Food Liaison Group |
53 |
|
IEHO Buckinghamshire Branch Food Group |
57 |
|
Kent Food Technical Group |
126 |
|
Lancashire Assn Of CEHOS, Food Officer Group |
63 |
|
Leicestershire Food Liaison Group |
127 |
|
LFCG1 North East Sector |
91 |
|
LFCG South East Sector |
71 |
|
LFCG South West Sector |
67 |
|
LFCG North West Sector |
114 |
|
Lincolnshire Co-ordinating Group |
89 |
|
Merseyside Food Sub-Group |
62 |
|
North Yorkshire CEHOS Group |
91 |
|
Northamptonshire |
77 |
|
Northern Ireland Food Group |
80 |
|
Northumberland Food Safety Group |
21 |
|
Norfolk Food Liaison Group |
120 |
|
Nottingham District Food Group |
69 |
|
Oxfordshire CC Food Sub-Group |
27 |
|
Scottish Food Co-ordinating Committee |
72 |
|
Shropshire Food Liaison Group |
43 |
|
Somerset Food Liaison Group |
69 |
|
South Yorkshire Food Forum |
20 |
|
Staffordshire Food Safety Group |
71 |
|
Suffolk Food Liaison Group |
38 |
|
Surrey Food Liaison Group |
63 |
|
Tees Valley Food Safety Group |
31 |
|
Tyne & Wear Food Control Group |
58 |
|
Wales North Group |
48 |
|
Wales South East Group |
46 |
|
Wales South West Group |
76 |
|
Warwickshire Food Liaison Group |
46 |
|
West Midlands Food Liaison Group (inc. Black Country) |
129 |
|
West of England Food Liaison Group |
82 |
|
West Sussex Food Liaison Group |
78 |
|
West Yorkshire Principal Food Officers Group |
27 |
|
Wiltshire Food Group |
70 |
|
Not stated |
5 |
|
Total |
3552 |
1, London Food Co-ordinating Group
*, Includes the 352 samples (not ready-to-eat organic vegetables) not included in the analysis.
