The failure to properly monitor hygiene rules over the long term was the main cause of the E.Coli outbreak in Wales in 2005, according to a newly published UK public inquiry report. The outbreak of the food poisoning-causing bacteria was the largest incidence of E. Coli recorded in Wales and the second largest ever in the UK. It affected more than 150 children in 44 schools, sent 31 people to hospital and caused the death of a 5 year-old boy. The report goes on to argue that everyone involved in the production and distribution of food has a role to play in ensuring food safety, and also criticised the way that local authorities awarded school meals contracts.