HC Deb 24 March 1994 vol 240 cc409-10
8. Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of the budget of her Department is devoted to the promotion of the safe handling of food.

Mr. Soames

A large proportion of the work of the Food Safety Directorate, which accounts for about one third of staff resources in the core department, is devoted to the promotion of food safety, including the safe handling of food.

Mr. Griffiths

I wonder whether the Minister would tell us when he last had the rather humble gastronomic experience of eating a sandwich from a store such as Tesco, and whether, when eating it, he was reading the Which? report on the safety of eating such sandwiches, because he will know that one in six are deemed to be dangerous to public health. Will he therefore take steps to ensure that all pre-packed sandwiches have a clear sell-by date on them and that more money is made available for the training of all staff who have to handle and sell sandwiches?

Mr. Soames

I would hazard a guess that I eat more Tesco sandwiches than the hon. Gentleman or, for that matter, many other hon. Gentlemen. The hon. Gentleman's assertion was fatuous. The standards in the British food industry are probably the highest in any country. Our hygiene training is the envy of the world and all the regulations on food safety in this country render our consumers the best protected, in the safest environment, in any country in Europe.

Mr. Brazier

Following that robust answer, may I ask my hon. Friend whether he agrees that we must resist pressure from the Opposition for yet more regulation? Surely the British people want a sensible balance to be struck between food safety and a reasonable regulatory burden so that British jobs are not destroyed throughout the food chain.

Mr. Soames

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The food industry, together with pharmaceuticals, aerospace and a number of others, is one of the best in Great Britain. My hon. Friend is correct. Any additional regulatory burden would do no good. The food industry depends on high standards of hygiene for its great success. Everything that my hon. Friend says is true. We believe that we have exactly the right balance, and we should continue to strike that balance.

Mr. Martyn Jones

In spite of the Minister's reply and his defence of the British food industry, there has been a huge increase in cases of salmonella food poisoning in the past few years. Given that all the evidence that has been given to the Agriculture Select Committee suggests that the Government's slaughter policy has had no effect in preventing that increase in salmonella food poisoning, will he now accept that the £1,048,000 that has been wasted on compensation for slaughtered flocks would have been best spent on educating food handlers in the use of eggs?

Mr. Soames

No, I do not believe that. The Government policy on all those matters has been driven by our professional independent advisory committees. The salmonella policy is to provide all necessary controls consistent with the need to protect public health.

The hon. Gentleman must understand that what makes food safe is not regulation but high standards and the food industry's determination to provide consumers with wholesome, safe food. That is precisely what they get.

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