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BSFM 2024 - Reported food-borne outbreaks in Belgium, 2023
No full textIntroduction
Sciensano, which harbors the National Reference Laboratory for Food-borne outbreaks, collects and centralizes the information on food-borne outbreaks (FBOs) and assures the follow-up of the FBOs in Belgium.
Materials and Methods
A food-borne outbreak is defined as an incidence, observed under given circumstances, of two or more human cases of the same disease and/or infection, or a situation in which the observed number of human cases exceeds the expected number and where the cases are linked, or are probably linked, to the same food source (Directive 2003/99/EC, Article 2(d)). Food-borne outbreaks are registered in the national system and reported to EFSA.
Results and Discussion
In 2023, a total of 722 outbreaks were reported. The most common causative agents were norovirus, pathogenic E. coli (STEC), Bacillus cereus and Salmonella, responsible for 15, 14, 7 and 7 food-borne outbreaks, respectively, leading to 478, 42, 60 and 38 illnesses. A total of 716 outbreaks were classified as weak-evidence outbreaks. Six outbreaks were strong-evidence outbreaks because the causative agent was detected in the implicated food and/or a strong epidemiological link was established with a specific food product. Three of these strong-evidence outbreaks were caused by norovirus: two outbreaks were linked to oysters and one to cut carrots. One STEC outbreak was a multi-country outbreak affecting France and Belgium (2023-FWD-00029), caused by pathogenic E. coli O26:H11, with the source identified as raw fermented milk produced in Belgium. The number of Belgian cases formally linked with the outbreak includes two cases in 2023 and one case in 2022 (identified through retrospective WGS analysis). B. cereus was involved in two strong-evidence outbreaks resulting in 15 and 17 illnesses, respectively. In the first outbreak, which occurred after a wedding buffet, enterotoxigenic B. cereus was isolated from a bread sample, a swab taken from a work surface and one clinical sample (stool). In the second outbreak, which affected two schools supplied by the same central kitchen, emetic B. cereus and its emetic toxin were detected in semolina samples as well as in one stool sample. Listeria monocytogenes 4b CC1 ST10 was responsible for one multi-country outbreak (2023-FWD-0088) with cases disseminated in Belgium (14 cases in 2023, mostly in Flanders) as well as in The Netherlands and Germany.
In 92% of the outbreaks (n=661 out of 722), no causative agent could be identified. This can be attributed to the absence of food leftovers in most of the outbreaks and/or late reporting by the consumer. In 18% of the outbreaks, human and/or food samples were sent for analysis, and 48% of these (n=61) resulted in the detection of a pathogen. This highlights the importance of rigorous sampling of suspected food and environmental samples and the added value of microbiological results for foodborne outbreak investigation.</p
Anxiety and depression in people with post-COVID condition: a Belgian population-based cohort study three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
No full textPURPOSE: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most research has focused on the management of the acute symptoms of the disease. Yet some people tend to experience symptoms beyond the acute phase, defined as Post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC). This study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 and PCC on anxiety and depression.
METHODS: This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study among the Belgian adult population with recent SARS-CoV-2 infection for which contact tracing was initiated. A total of 3127 people were followed-up just after their infection and three months later (from April 2021 to January 2022). Anxiety and depression were assessed at the two stages using the GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire).
RESULTS: Three months after infection, participants with PCC (50%) had an increased probability of having both anxiety and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). The proportion with anxiety and depressive symptoms at three months were significantly higher in people with PCC (11% and 19%) compared to people without persistent COVID symptoms (3.8% and 4.2%) and to a matched sub-sample not infected with SARS-CoV-2 (6.5% and 4.3%). Having at least one acute COVID-19 symptom (p < 0.001), experiencing financial loss following the infection (p < 0.001), and different PCC symptoms were associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms worsening over time.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that three months after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, one in two people suffer from PCC with significant consequences for their mental health. Follow-up on mental health must therefore have an important place in people suffering from PCC.</p
Characterizing the extent and nature of digital food and beverage marketing in Singapore - a descriptive study
No full textOBJECTIVE: To characterize the nature of digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore.
SETTING: Food and beverage advertisements within 20 clicks on top 12 non-food websites and all posts on Facebook and Instagram pages of 15 major food companies in Singapore were sampled from January 1 to June 30, 2018.
DESIGN: Advertised foods were classified as being core (healthier), non-core or mixed-dishes (example burger) using the WHO nutrient profile model and national guidelines. Marketing techniques were assessed using published coding frameworks.
RESULTS: Advertisements (n=117) on the 12 non-food websites were largely presented as editorial content. Food companies posted twice weekly on average on social media sites (n=1261), with eatery-chains posting most frequently and generating largest amount of likes and shares. Key marketing techniques emphasized non-health attributes for example hedonic or convenience attributes (85% of advertisements). Only a minority of foods and beverages advertised were core foods (non-food website:16.2%; social media: 13.5%).
CONCLUSIONS: Top food and beverage companies in Singapore actively use social media as a platform for promotion with a complex array of marketing techniques. A vast majority of these posts were unhealthy highlighting an urgent need to consider regulating digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore.</p
Food Environment in Burkina Faso: Review of Public Policies and Government Actions Using the Food-EPI Tool
No full textBACKGROUND: Governments have a central role to play in creating a food environment that will enable people to have and maintain healthy eating practices.
OBJECTIVES: This study analyzes public policies and government actions related to creating healthy food environments in Burkina Faso.
METHODS: The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index tool used for this study has 2 components, 13 domains, and 56 indicators of good practice adapted to the Burkina Faso context. Official policy documents collected from data sources such as government and nongovernment websites, and through interviews with government and nongovernment resource persons, provided evidence of considerations of food environment in public policy documents in Burkina Faso.
RESULTS: Policies documents show a lack of revision of old texts and administrative processes for new policies and government practices are very slow. Added to this is the absence of a regulatory document for some implemented actions. The analysis of the documents collected in relation to the indicators of Food-EPI tool shows that there is no evidence of consideration of food environments for the indicators concerning the regulation of nutrition and health claims, labeling, taxes on healthy and unhealthy foods, support systems for training for private structures on healthy diets, implementation of food guidelines, and food trade and investment.
CONCLUSION: This study permits a review of public policies that take into account food environments through the various indicators and constitutes a starting point from which improvements can be made by the government.
PLAIN LANGUAGE TITLE: Overview of Nutrition Policies, Taking Into Account All the Dimensions That Can Influence People’s Food Choices Across Government, the Food Industry and Society.</p
Lifestyle predictors of colorectal cancer in European populations: a systematic review
No full textBACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most prevalent cancer in Europe, with one-fifth of cases attributable to unhealthy lifestyles. Risk prediction models for quantifying CRC risk and identifying high-risk groups have been developed or validated across European populations, some considering lifestyle as a predictor.
PURPOSE: To identify lifestyle predictors considered in existing risk prediction models applicable for European populations and characterise their corresponding parameter values for an improved understanding of their relative contribution to prediction across different models.
METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science from January 2000 to August 2021. Risk prediction models were included if (1) developed and/or validated in an adult asymptomatic European population, (2) based on non-invasively measured predictors and (3) reported mean estimates and uncertainty for predictors included. To facilitate comparison, model-specific lifestyle predictors were visualised using forest plots.
RESULTS: A total of 21 risk prediction models for CRC (reported in 16 studies) were eligible, of which 11 were validated in a European adult population but developed elsewhere, mostly USA. All models but two reported at least one lifestyle factor as predictor. Of the lifestyle factors, the most common predictors were body mass index (BMI) and smoking (each present in 13 models), followed by alcohol (11), and physical activity (7), while diet-related factors were less considered with the most commonly present meat (9), vegetables (5) or dairy (2). The independent predictive contribution was generally greater when they were collected with greater detail, although a noticeable variation in effect size estimates for BMI, smoking and alcohol.
CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of high-risk groups based on lifestyle data offers the potential to encourage participation in lifestyle change and screening programmes, hence reduce CRC burden. We propose the commonly shared lifestyle predictors to be further used in public health prediction modelling for improved uptake of the model.</p
Contribution of ultra-processed food and animal-plant protein intake ratio to the environmental impact of Belgian diets
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The importance of including a mental health dimension in a multimorbidity indicator: an analysis of Belgian health survey data.
No full textBACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is a rising public health concern. Indicators that address these complex health conditions are often exclusively devoted to physical diseases. Because of their high disease burden, mental health disorders ought to be considered as well. This paper aims to measure the added value of including a mental health dimension in a population-based multimorbidity indicator and identify which mental health measures are most appropriate.
METHODS: Secondary analyses were conducted on data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey 2018. We compared the prevalence of different multimorbidity indicators (MIs) in relation to health impact measures, such as quality of life (EQ-5D score) and activity limitation (GALI). The MIs differed as to the health conditions involved: one was based on physical conditions only; the other three included mental health dimensions that were either self-reported or assessed by a scale (GAD-7, PHQ-9, and GHQ-12). We performed linear and logistic regressions to assess the association between the MIs and the health correlates and compared the goodness of fit of the different models.
RESULTS: MI prevalence was higher when including a mental health dimension assessed with the GHQ-12 (42.0%) and with the GAD-7 or the PHQ-9 (39.4%) as compared to physical conditions only (35.0%). Associations between the MI and health correlates were consistently stronger if the MI included a mental health dimension. The regression models with MI including the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 showed the strongest association between MI and the health correlates and also had the best goodness-of-fit measures.
CONCLUSIONS: MIs that only take physical conditions into account underestimate their impact on individuals’ lives. Including mental ill-health in an MI is key to linking it to health correlates.</p
