EU harmonised surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) E. coli and Salmonella found in fresh beef and pork meat on retail sale in the UK in 2027

The Food Standards Agency is issuing a procurement for a comprehensive EU‑harmonised surveillance programme aimed at assessing antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella present on raw, fresh beef and pork sold to consumers in the United Kingdom during 2027. The programme is divided into two distinct but linked components: the first involves the design and execution of a proportionate stratified sampling strategy, collection of retail samples—including both pre‑packed and loose meat from major supermarkets and independent butchers—and transport to accredited testing laboratories; the second encompasses the microbiological identification and characterisation of recovered bacteria, detailed data analysis, the preparation of technical reports, and the systematic archiving of isolates and their resistance profiles. The study deliberately covers all chilled fresh meat, whether wrapped, vacuum‑wrapped or stored in a controlled atmosphere, and encompasses a wide range of cuts such as roasts, steaks, chops and sliced preparations, thereby providing a representative assessment of the retail market.

The contracting entity requires that sampling protocols adhere to randomisation principles suitable for antimicrobial resistance monitoring, while laboratory procedures must meet rigorous quality control standards throughout receipt, logging, and analysis, with provisions for long‑term storage of bacterial isolates. The data handling and reporting processes should facilitate transparent and comprehensive archival of all findings. The sampling must follow a proportionate stratified design and the laboratory analysis must include detection of ESBL, AmpC, carbapenemase, and colistin‑resistant E. coli and all Salmonella isolates, with stringent quality control and long‑term storage protocol.

The objective of microbiological food safety research themes is to provide robust information on the presence, growth, survival, and elimination of pathogenic microorganisms throughout the food chain; the extent, distribution, causes, risks and burden of foodborne disease will also be considered where appropriate. The reduction of foodborne disease has been one of FSA’s key objectives in ensuring food safety. The reduction of foodborne disease is a continuing priority, ensuring that food produced and sold in the UK is safe to eat. We are taking a targeted approach to the control and reduction of individual pathogens, with the aim of reducing the overall burden of foodborne disease in the UK.
Lot 1. Survey design, sample collection at retail and transportation to the testing laboratory
Lot 2. Microbiological testing, data analysis, reporting and archiving of recovered bacteria and their AMR profile

Communication: Tenders for FSA funded projects must be submitted through the health-family single e-Commercial System (Atamis), using the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En
Enquiry deadline: 2026-07-06T12:00:00+01:00
Submission address and any special instructions: Tenders for FSA funded projects must be submitted through the health-family single e-Commercial System (Atamis), using the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
Tenders may be submitted electronically: allowed
Award decision date (estimated): 2026-09-01T23:59:59+01:00

Lot number: 1
Description: Applicants should submit bids indicating a proportionate stratified sampling design for a survey of AMR E. coli and Salmonella found on raw, fresh beef and pork meat on retail sale in the UK. Fresh meat is defined in the Technical specifications on a randomisation of sampling for the purpose of antimicrobial resistance monitoring from food‐producing animals and food as from 2021 as chilled meat (meaning that frozen meat is excluded), including meat that is wrapped, vacuum-wrapped or wrapped in a controlled atmosphere. The survey will include both skin and skinless beef and pork meat cuts such as, but not limited to, roasting joints, steaks, chops, sliced and diced, etc. Both pre-packed and loose beef and pork meat purchased at major supermarkets and butchers are to be included in this survey. This also includes loose beef and pork meat purchased from butchers/meat counters located within supermarkets.
Lot value (estimated)
50.000,00 GBP excluding VAT
60.000,00 GBP including VAT
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals: October 2026 – February 2028. Sampling to be delivered January–December 2027, with an optional extension of up to 3 months.

Lot number: 2
Description: Lot 2.Microbiological testing, data analysis, reporting and archiving of recovered bacteria and their AMR profile. Applicants should submit bids indicating a microbiological testing for a survey on AMR E. coli (ESBL-, AmpC-, carbapenemase-producing and colistin resistant) and Salmonella found on raw beef and pork meat on retail sale in the UK. Applicants must ensure good quality control throughout the sample arrival/logging and analysis and long-term storage of bacterial isolates.
Lot value (estimated)
160.000,00 GBP excluding VAT
192.000,00 GBP including VAT
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals: October 2026 – May 2028, with an optional extension of up to 6 months.

Award criteria:

Name	Type	Weighting
Technical	quality	80%
Commercial	cost	20%