Food hygiene services in Wales need an extra £2.5m a year to help prevent a repeat of a fatal 2005 E. coli outbreak, a consumer watchdog warns.

Consumer Focus Wales called for money to be ring-fenced as it publishes a review of progress, a year after a public inquiry.

The mother of Mason Jones, five, who died will be at the launch.

The Welsh Assembly Government rejected claims it had not taken a stronger role in directing response to the inquiry.

It also said councils could determine how they spent their money, including on food safety and said there was extra money to enforce European food hygiene legislation.

The inquiry was led by microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington and made 24 recommendations to agencies and councils in March 2009.

Contaminated meat had led to 157 people, mostly children, falling ill when E. coli O157 struck 44 schools in the south Wales valleys.

'All it can'

Five-year-old Mason Jones, from Deri, Caerphilly county, died.

Consumer Focus's review of progress since the Pennington inquiry was published said extra funding of between £2.5m to £3m was needed for each of the next five years.

It also criticised the assembly government for not taking a bigger role in learning the lessons of the inquiry, held at a cost of £2.3m.

Mason's mother, Sharon Mills, said: "I believe the Welsh Assembly Government needs to ask itself if it has done all it can to protect its people.

"My five-year-old child lost his life and a number of other young children are still suffering in the aftermath of this outbreak.

"Some will need ongoing treatment and care for a long time."

She added that although the report showed some progress has been made, more was still needed to be done and funding was "crucial".

In the review, published by Consumer Focus Wales, Prof Pennington said increased pressures on food safety measures would continue.

"But the threat from E. coli O157 isn't going to change. Prevention must remain paramount," he said.

The butcher who supplied the meat, William Tudor, was jailed for a year in September 2007 after admitting food safety offences.

Findings considered

Consumer Focus Wales senior director Maria Battle said the review was conducted because consumers had a right to know whether Prof Pennington's recommendations were implemented.

"Much of the work undertaken by public authorities in response to the inquiry has been thorough, timely and appropriate," she said.

"However, clearly more needs to be done. We want the Welsh Assembly Government to provide ring-fenced money to local authorities so they have the resources to implement the recommendations.

"We know money is going to be scarce but it is crucial that environmental health services are properly funded to prevent another E. coli outbreak."

An assembly government spokesman said it would consider the review's findings and recommendations.

"The main focus of Professor Pennington's report was on food safety and inspections and not on the Welsh Assembly Government.

"We reject the accusation that we have not taken a stronger role in directing the response to the inquiry."

He said it had ensured the response had been "coordinated robustly and effectively" and a "great deal of work" was being done to reduce the risk of a repeat.

The spokesman said £4bn in funding was open to councils to spend to meet local needs. Despite financial pressures, this amount had increased by 2.1%.

The assembly government has issued new guidelines in the wake of the inquiry.

The Food Standards Agency, an independent government department set up to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food, said it was also working to ensure Prof Pennington's recommendations are implemented.

These include providing guidance to environmental health officers on the use of separate machinery for raw meat and ready to eat foods.