Scientists at the United Kingdom's leading food research establishment have warned that Government cuts in funding threaten their future ability to respond to crisis such as the recent outbreak of E.coli bacteria in Scotland.
Alan Malcolm, director of the Institute of Food Research says the institute, a leader in E.coli research, has been told by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to expect cuts of up to Pounds 1.8 million in the next financial year. This will mean that the institutes' funding from MAFF has been cut by around 50 per cent over the last three years.
Professor Malcolm says he appreciates the various pressures on MAFF - such as meeting the costs of BSE - but fears the cuts are undermining the national strategy for food safety.
He argues that the food market has been transformed over the past 20 years with the availability of new products, new food-processing methods and new cooking technologies such as microwaves. "All of these have the potential to introduce new bacterial strains. But it is possible to contain and control this danger by scientific research and public education," he says.
According to the Scottish Office, 404 people are now reported as having symptoms of E.coli 0157 infection. Of these, 223 are confirmed cases. Twelve adults have died from the outbreak. Foods most prone to contamination are raw meats, particularly beef, and untreated milk.
Professor Malcolm says E.coli replicates every 20 minutes so new mutations of the bacteria can appear with "alarming rapidity". He says: "We have to carry out research on such bacteria all the time - it is not possible to predict when the next outbreak will occur."
He warns that if the cuts continue for another two or three years, scientists will not be able to respond to any new outbreak. "We have to have a critical mass of scientific expertise and it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain it month by month. I can't say that there will not be problems in the future, for instance, with salmonella or campylobacter. It will be astonishing if there isn't."
Professor Malcolm highlights two characteristics of E.coli 0157 that pose considerable challenges for researchers. The food industry has been alarmed by reports that the bacteria can survive in acid conditions.
This acid tolerance may also allow the organism to survive better in the acidic environment of the stomach, making the organism more difficult to kill during processing. "We don't know why it is acid resistant - if we did we could suggest suitable processing methods or food storage conditions to the industry."
The bug also seems to be resistant to high pressure. Professor Malcolm explains that high pressure food processing is a new technology that firms would like to make greater use of because of its ability to kill bugs without affecting the flavour of the food. Scientists want to confirm whether the bug is resistant to pressure and then explain why it has this ability.