Consumer group: Food poisoning cases in U.K. up ten-fold

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's Consumers' Association launched a campaign for safer food on Wednesday with an appeal to the public to always report incidents of food poisoning to their doctor or local health authority.

The CA said the 100,000 cases of food poisoning reported in Britain last year were just the tip of the iceberg and that the real number of cases could be 30 times higher.

The organization believes because so many cases go unreported, bad practices throughout the food industry are allowed to continue.

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"Food poisoning cases have risen ten-fold over the last two decades," said the CA's director, Sheila McKechnie.

"Our campaign -- Fit to Eat -- will shine a spotlight on lurid practices in the food industry, including a persistent lack of basic hygiene in commercial kitchens."

A Which? report published on Wednesday appeared to support the CA's view that many cases go unreported.

Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 80 percent said they thought it was important to report suspected food poisoning, yet few of those who thought they may have succumbed themselves had contacted the authorities.

"Today's report shows consumers can do something to help tackle the problem," said Helen Parker, editor of Which?

"If you've suffered from food poisoning, make sure you report it to your GP or to environmental health officers at your local council."

The CA also said it was concerned that doctors did not always report every case of suspected food poisoning to the local health authority, despite their legal duty to do so.

The CA plans to lobby the government to tighten licensing of all food premises and to inform consumers about how local eateries and food stores fare in safety inspections.

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