"Campylobacter: From Farm to Table - Current Situation and Future Prospects" was presented to industry professionals from the poultry sector and public health services.

According to CReSA, Campylobacter is the most common cause of acute enteritis transmitted by food, especially chicken.

Dr Marta Cerdà, CReSA researcher, joined several organisations - Nutreco Food Research Centre , the Catalan Food Safety Agency (ACSA) , the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) - in the fight against this zoonosis.

Deputy veterinary director of strategy at FSA, Francisco Javier Dominguez, said that Campylobacter is considered one of the main health hazards in the UK. According to data, between 65 per cent and 86 per cent of supermarket chicken is contaminated with Campylobacter.

Although it has been shown that freezing food is an effective method to reduce the presence of bacteria, only three per cent of chicken meat is sold frozen, according to the UK Research and Innovation Strategy for Campylobacter in the Food Chain 2010-2015 (FSA).

The workshop also addressed the issue of biosecurity, its importance and and the need to implement it correctly.