Blimey! Well it's a wide subject and it's worth looking at the fsa website for some ideas:
www.food.gov.uk
Off the top of my head, I'd use some of these as starting points but I suggest you research them. Finding newspaper headlines from the time would be a good idea on seeing how people reacted in the immediate aftermath but also it's worth looking at sales data if you can find some; certainly sales of beef have suffered for years!
Ok, key food crises in no particular order (sorry, I'd have to search around for dates so I'll leave that for you to do!)
Listeria in soft cheeses / pate; first time Listeria is really recognised as the dangerous pathogen it is for vulnerable groups. Changed advice for pregnant women, elderly etc. Probably the perceived risk was only slightly higher than the real risk which is rare!
Salmonella in eggs. Previously had only been thought to be in the chicken. Changed cooking habits for a while (no more soft centred yolks) eventually led to mass flock vaccination. It was a big deal for a short time until everyone realised hard boiled eggs don't taste as nice.
BSE in cattle; long running, eventually a link to CJD is generally accepted; beef sales badly hit, especially in the UK. Some countries will still not accept UK beef exports now. Perceived risk far higher than actual in my opinion but then just because there are higher odds of winning the lottery, it doesn't stop people entering the lottery mind and most peope accept that removal of certain parts of the brain and spinal cord minimise the small risk there is.
Foot and mouth. Not a food risk but it was perceived in that way by the TV coverage of hundreds of cows being burned in the field to prevent the spread of disease.
Sudan dyes in chilli powders; resulting drop in sales of ready meals particularly. The perceived risk I think was higher than the real risk as there was no proven real risk and contamination levels were minute. I did see a cracking news report though which showed the route from India to the worcester sauce manufacturer who then sold onto ready meal manufacturers. It had the effect of more regulation within the ready meal industry and more testing / certification of ingredients.
EColi - various scares in the UK with O147:H7 and variants. Particularly around butchers without proper high risk / low risk controls around raw and cooked. The public perception died down almost immediately whereas I think this was the biggest scandal. A butcher in Wales was jailed as a result of killing a child because of this. It probably didn't hit the headlines as much because it was all small producers.
EColi - again didn't hit the headlines as much as it perhaps should but I remember Morrisons having a contamination of their deli counters in some stores but because they produce their own sandwiches in house, the contamination spread across products.
Blimey, my mind's gone blank and it's time to cook tea. Well that's a few to be going on with!
Edited by GMO, 07 April 2009 - 06:06 PM.
