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Assuming BSE causes vCJD, the numbers and characteristics of the vCJD outbreak are re‐estimated using vCJD mortality data to the end of 2001. The results of the earlier analyses are confirmed. The mean mortality period is found to be less than ten years, with seven years the most likely figure; the number of human victims will be restricted to hundreds, even if the distribution turns out to be bimodal, and the most likely figure is calculated as 130. The effectiveness of the various countermeasures since 1988 is assessed in terms of lives saved, and the early countermeasures are found to be far and away the most effective. The implications for government policy are examined.

Recently the Royal Society held a briefing to explain what BSE is, how it may have arisen, the possibilities of it being transmitted to human beings and to describe some of the current research

An in‐depth examination of the evolution of legislation, practice and thinking in food safety in the UK and Europe in general. Explores the reduced levels of confidence exhibited by consumers.

A single case of a BSE infection was reported in June 2000 in a cow that had been born after the feed regulations were introduced in early August 1996 (born after the ban; a 1996‐BAB). This article is aimed at showing how, and when it can be claimed, that such cattle are either vertically infected (in which case they may be of lesser significance) or represent a further mode of disease transmission of BSE in the UK, in which case UK beef may remain undesirable to foreign markets. These calculations require the age at which BSE infection takes place in cattle to be known: this is demonstrated to be within the first seven months of life and generally within the first month. The possibility that BSE cases infected before the feed ban in 1996 were the result of an environmental source is considered. It is shown that, should this be so, the case number seen in the UK would become greater than that predicted for vertical transmission between December 2000 and May 2001 assuming that the proportion of cases that are reported remains as previously.

The British livestock industry is the subject of a number of controversial issues. These include matters of public concern such as animal welfare, growth promoters, biotechnological procedures, the nutritional value of meat and BSE. There are many misconceptions on these matters and concerns are often needless. Legislation, unknown to many consumers, is in place on these matters and has been adhered to in the UK and other EU members states for many years. The divide between the urban dweller and agriculture is widening. There is therefore a need for closer communication between interested parties.

The frequency of reporting of foodborne infections of animal origin, in particular salmonella, campylobacter and Escherichia coli (VTEC) has increased in recent years due to changes in food production and processing methods in parallel with changes in eating habits and other social factors such as mass catering and the use of convenience foods. In contrast infections, primarily of human origin, in particular typhoid, paratyphoid and bacillary dysentery, are nowadays much less frequently associated with foodborne spread. Meanwhile, other “emerging” micro‐organisms of bacterial, viral and protozoal origin have increasingly frequently been reported with evidence of food or waterborne spread. Foodborne disease has also taken on an international dimension, highlighted by outbreaks associated with imported foods (e.g. cheese, chocolate, pate, etc.) and tourist groups. Presents a review of recent trends in foodborne infections.

In response to a paper published in a previous issue of British Food Journal, it criticises the methodology of the previous research. Examines the earlier findings on the projected epidemic size of the new variant of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans. Argues that the earlier research is flawed and there exists no data which can provide adequate predictions for the extent of the vCJD epidemic.