Number of Reported Cases of Food Poisoning in each of the Scottish LA areas for the Last 12 months for which FSS has the Data Available Along with an Indication of the Number of Enforcement Actions wh

Your request was about the following information:

The information which I am requesting is the number of reported cases of food poisoning in each of the Scottish local authority areas for the last 12 month period for which you have the data available, together with an indication of the number of enforcement actions which resulted, taken a) by the local authorities and b) by Food Standards Scotland

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) does not hold data on the number of reported cases of food poisoning in each of the Scottish local authority areas for the last 12 month period. Investigations of sporadic cases of gastrointestinal illnesses, including those suspected to have been caused by food, are led by National Health Service (NHS) Health Boards with support from the relevant environmental health departments, which have responsibility for taking appropriate action where a particular food business may be implicated. FSS will become involved in the investigation of these incidents when they involve meat processing businesses for which FSS is the enforcing authority, in circumstances where the implicated food has been distributed across a number of Local Authority areas, or when there has been an outbreak of illness which has extended nationally or has the potential to result in a serious public health risk.

It is the responsibility of Public Health Scotland (PHS) to collate figures on the number laboratory confirmed of cases of gastrointestinal diseases from the 14 NHS Health Boards in Scotland. These figures include cases of gastrointestinal disease which have been linked to food, although it is important to note that the source of infection is not established in all cases and may not involve a link to food. The bacteria and viruses which cause these infections can be transmitted through a range of pathways e.g. via contact with pets, the environment and other people who may be infected.

PHS publishes, on an annual basis, the numbers of reported cases for a range of infectious diseases in Scotland at national level: Infectious diseases - Health protection - Population health - Public Health Scotland. These figures include cases which have been caused by the pathogens that are most commonly linked to food poisoning; Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigatoxin producing E.coli and norovirus. It also publishes biennial reports on reporting of illnesses caused by these pathogens, with the data broken down based on seasonality, demographics and incidence rates (per 100,000 population) for each of the 14 NHS Health Boards in Scotland. The most recent of these reports was published on 1 October 2024 and covers data from 2022-2023: Gastrointestinal & Zoonoses. FSS and PHS review these data sets on an on-going basis to review trends that may point to an increased risk and the need for action to reduce the risks to consumers in Scotland.

FSS does not hold data on the number of enforcement actions taken by Local Authorities (LA) in relation to food poisoning incidents. However we provide guidance to Local Authorities in the management of outbreaks of food borne illness. This can be found here : Guidance on the management of outbreaks of foodborne illness in Scotland | Food Standards Scotland

This guidance aims to ensure a consistent and rigorous approach to outbreaks by all organisations involved.