In 2020, the Chilled Food Association (CFA) and British Sandwich Association will work with the NHS, Food Standards Agency, Public Health England and equivalents in devolved administrations to enhance standards relating to ready-to-eat food served in hospitals.
This action follows the deaths of six patients in English hospitals linked to an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced meat used as filling in sandwiches supplied by The Good Food Chain to 43 NHS Trusts.
The initiative seeks to enhance supply chain requirements, with the entities involved likely to agree to the same technical due diligence systems for high risk ingredient suppliers and final product suppliers as demanded by the UK’s four largest supermarket retailers.