A group of organizations led by the University of Manchester pioneered a study which found out that about 11 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stomach upsets, or cases of infectious intestinal diseases (IID). Some of these diseases are linked to food, but not all of them are. The study is also published in the Food Standard Agency.

The recent study is one of the biggest studies conducted over a course of ten years. Usually, IID results to episodes of diarrhea, vomiting and other common GI signs and symptoms. The study recruited workers from various fields throughout the UK and these people were asked to answer questionnaires related to their signs and symptoms. They were also subjected to interview and clinical trials. The study also made use of national statistics to ascertain the accurate incidence and morbidity of IID.

From the data gathered from 2008 to 2009, it was revealed that:

- About 17 million people, about 1 in four of the population of the UK, have IID every year.

- About half of them take time off work or school: for workers the FSA estimates this represents about 11 million lost working days.

- About 2% of the population visits their GP with symptoms of IID every year; an estimated 1 million consultations a year.

- For every IID casereported to national surveillance, there are about 10 GP visits and 147 cases in the community.

- Based on stool sample tests of people with IID, the most commonly identified microorganisms were norovirus, sapovirus, Campylobacter spp. and rotavirus.

Campylobacter, a common cause of IIDs can be found on undercooked and raw poultry products. These bacteria which caused about half a million cases of infection each year need to be reduced. A more startling fact is that in a sampling conducted by the FSA, about two thirds of all the chickens on sale in the UK were found to be contaminated with these bacteria.

The results of the study were also compared with a similar study in England during the 1990s, which found out that:

- The incidence of community-based IID was 43% higher in 2008-09 than during 1993-96, but the number of people who saw their GP about IID was 50% lower.

- Reporting IID cases to national surveillance has improved since the mid 90s, for those who visited their GP. This suggests GPSs are more likely to take a stool sample, and/or recording of IID episodes for those using primary healthcare services has improved.

According to Andrew Wade, chief scientist of the Food Standard Agency, “This new study is very important as it gives us a more accurate picture of the impact of IID on the UK population. The study shows the FSA is correct to make campylobacter a key priority in its strategic plan. We know that levels of campylobacter on chicken are far too high in the UK, which is why we are working closely with the food industry to bring these levels down.”

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