Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to safeguard UK food supply from salmonella outbreaks.

The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene. One of the FSA’s primary objectives is to control foodborne disease, and the FSA collaborates across the food system to identify and manage risks. The food hygiene legislation, official controls, surveillance of foodborne disease, outbreak investigation, and consumer advice are focused on reducing foodborne illness.

Food businesses are required to comply with food hygiene legislation and implement food safety management procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles to identify and control food safety risks, including microbiological hazards such as Salmonella. Local authorities and the FSA deliver official controls to verify compliance with food hygiene requirements and take enforcement action where necessary.

The United Kingdom also operates Salmonella National Control Programmes in poultry populations, including breeding flocks, laying hens, broilers, and turkeys. These programmes require routine testing and surveillance to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella at primary production level and minimise the risk of contaminated food entering the supply chain.

The FSA works closely with the UK Health Security Agency, local authorities, and other partners to monitor and investigate foodborne disease outbreaks. Where food safety risks are identified, the FSA can issue Food Alerts and support product withdrawals or recalls to protect consumers.