CFA launches UK’s first industry-wide E. coli intelligence database

Chilled Food Association has launched the UK’s first industry-wide E. coli intelligence database for fresh produce and irrigation water, giving growers and produce users access to independent, industry-owned, benchmarked microbiological data at unprecedented scale.

The system brings together more than 100,000 datapoints collected since 2024 from irrigation water used on Red Tractor Category 1 crops, alongside pre- and post-wash produce testing. It is the largest and most comprehensive dataset of its kind in the UK, focused on generic E. coli as a key indicator of hygiene and irrigation water quality.

CFA Director General Karin Goodburn said: “The industry has lacked a robust way to benchmark produce hygiene and irrigation water quality at a national level. This database changes that. For the first time, growers and produce users can compare their own performance against independent industry-wide evidence and demonstrate that their controls are working.”

The database enables businesses to move beyond internal testing alone to industry-wide benchmarking, strengthening assurance, supporting HACCP and due diligence, and enabling more robust, evidence-based conversations with retailers, auditors and regulators. It also helps identify emerging risks earlier, reducing the likelihood of incidents, withdrawals and reputational damage.

CFA members already have access to the database, and non-members can participate through a subscription arrangement.

Participating businesses can compare their own results against consolidated data, while maintaining full confidentiality. Company-specific data is never shared and is visible only to the contributing business. Benchmarking insights are provided once sufficient data has been submitted to ensure meaningful comparison.

Where results fall outside expected norms, businesses retain full control over any response, with CFA to request confirmation that appropriate actions have been taken.

The database offers independent evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of hygiene controls to customers, auditors and regulators, benchmarking insights to identify strengths and areas for improvement, stronger support for HACCP, verification and due diligence requirements, early identification of trends to reduce the risk of incidents, withdrawals or reputational damage, and enhanced credibility with retailers and buyers through demonstrated leadership in produce safety.

The dataset is subject to an annual audit to ensure data quality, consistency and accurate categorisation, providing confidence that the intelligence remains reliable and actionable over time.

Growers and produce users interested in accessing the database or learning more about participation can contact Karin Goodburn by emailing cfa@chilledfood.org.

Supporting the circular economy: ENABLER project

CFA has provided a letter of support for ENABLER, a new research consortium led by the universities of Cambridge, Loughborough and Newcastle, applying for funding under the EPSRC Network Plus Reimagining Circularity programme.

ENABLER’s mission is to create a circular data ecosystem that enables trackable, comparable and actionable insights for circular practices – addressing the fragmented and inconsistent data landscape that currently limits progress toward a circular economy. The project brings together academia, industry and policy communities to co-create robust data, metrics and frameworks, with artificial intelligence at its core.

CFA’s support reflects the alignment between ENABLER’s objectives and CFA members’ sustainability commitments – particularly around food waste reduction, data interoperability and evidence-based decision-making across the supply chain. No financial contribution is required; CFA’s involvement will comprise in-kind support including staff time for events and sharing of knowledge.

Find out more about this research consortium HERE.

CFA and IFST: Special Interest Group involvement

CFA continues to support the work of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) through its Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

Karin Goodburn MBE Hon FIFST is a member of the Food Safety SIG and the Consultations Triage Group. The Food Safety SIG engages on hot topics, contributes to relevant publications and organises webinars and events.

Dr Rachel Hackett FIFST is a member of the newly formed Food Sustainability SIG, established to translate issues and share developments relating to sustainability across the food sector.

CFA joins UK Packaging Pact as founding signatory

CFA has signed up as a founding signatory to the UK Packaging Pact, joining 55 organisations ahead of the Pact’s launch in April 2026.

The UK Packaging Pact is the successor to the UK Plastics Pact – a world-first initiative that has since inspired a global network of Pacts operating across every continent. Building on seven years of collaboration and measurable impact, the new voluntary agreement extends the focus beyond plastics to drive system-wide change across all packaging materials, with four goals covering optimising packaging, scaling reuse and refill, unblocking barriers to circularity, and harmonising data. The ambition is to transform the UK packaging sector by 2035.

CFA’s founding signatory status builds on its existing commitments as a UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap Early Adopter and its Chilled Sector Sustainability Aims – and on its previous membership of the UK Plastics Pact.