§ 2.49 p.m.
§ Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any restrictions or conditions apply to the sale of home-made cakes, jams and similar products at local events, such as church fetes.
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, the sale of such foods in the way described is not restricted, although the Food Safety Act 1990, which exists to protect public health, requires that they should not be unfit or unsafe for human consumption.
§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes:My Lords, I am delighted by that Answer. I have not heard an Answer that has pleased me so much, as the continuing tradition of home-made cakes is something that I want to see. Does the Minister believe that there is a certain merit in a purely voluntary labelling of cakes? I cite my recent visit to Australia. Often the vendor is not the person who made the cake. In Australia, people may say whether butter or margarine has been used, although they do not have to do so—and, in particular, whether the cake contains any nuts. Does the Minister believe that a voluntary scheme of that type might be useful in this country?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Baroness is so pleased with the Answer, and I am entirely in agreement with her on the merits of home-made cakes. I have experience of going to fetes over the years. One knows a lot about the cakes and their makers—the Women's Institute is particularly good in that regard—although we have not yet got to 790 the situation in Australia. However, the Food Safety Act, which governs the general provision, means that the descriptions should never be misleading. One should never label something as having been made with butter when it was made with margarine, for example.
In terms of nuts, we are extending labelling on pre-packed foods, so that from next January we will have labels for allergens. In fact, there is some voluntary labelling already, so we are making good progress.
§ Baroness Sharples:My Lords, 22 years ago, I introduced a brief Bill into your Lordships' House about the Women's Institute and the fact that its kitchens were at that time being inspected. I gather that they are no longer inspected—I presume that that remains the case.
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, the noble Baroness has had a very long and distinguished history in terms of jam yesterday—and, I sincerely hope, jam tomorrow as well.
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I had to say that before somebody else did.
Yes, I can assure the noble Baroness that those regulations have stood the test of time and that nothing has changed as regards the kitchens of the Women's Institute. They are still exempt from the key regulations.
§ Lord Addington:My Lords, effectively, is the Minister reassuring us that unless jams and/or preserves start killing people in large quantities, we shall not have any more restrictions, and that that is the position for the foreseeable future?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, indeed, that is the position. Jam is not normally lethal, and our regulations are quite appropriate. What the Government aim to do with their food safety legislation is just that—ensure that public health is protected, but that the burdens on producers are not onerous or over-bureaucratic.
§ Baroness Trumpington:My Lords, nuts.
§ Baroness Trumpington:My Lords, when I was buying things from the Women's Institute many years ago, the subject of nuts being dangerous never arose. Has there been an increase in allergies to foods containing nuts?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I am no expert on the incidence of allergies. However, it is my impression that we have become much more aware of allergies, and they do indeed seem to be multiplying. Nut allergies are very serious for some people, and parents are very alert to what their children are eating, especially in terms of nuts. At the moment, the Food Standards Agency is conducting a consultation with 791 stakeholders—as we call them—as to whether we should extend the requirement for allergen labelling to non-pre-packed food to ensure that there is an even greater degree of safety.
§ Lord Davies of Coity:My Lords, I wonder whether my noble friend is aware that my youngest granddaughter is five years of age tomorrow. My wife has been spending all morning making a considerable number of cakes for the party. Does the Minister feel that there is any danger in that?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I am sure that every grandparent in the House will rejoice at the news that we have just heard. Home-made cakes are by and large extremely safe, although kitchens can be dangerous and one has to watch for cross-contamination. I am absolutely certain that the cakes that will be served tomorrow will be as safe as they can possibly be.
§ Lord Livsey of Talgarth:My Lords, I am the son of what used to be called a domestic science teacher who trained young people to cook. There is a decline in the number of home-made cakes at these events and it is necessary that they be healthy and the people well trained. Why have the Government not made enough effort to put domestic science on to the national curriculum to ensure that in future there will be a supply of healthy cakes to eat?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I can assure the noble Lord that food technology taught at key stage 3 includes a range of simple cooking. He is right that we would all like to see young people cooking more. One of the elements of the Food in Schools programme that is now in place is to develop cookery clubs and to encourage young people to explore and enjoy cooking.
§ Earl Ferrers:My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is slightly pointless putting on a jar a list of what it contains when one cannot get into the jar? Does she agree that many jars are now impossible even for tough men to get into? Little old ladies must find it very difficult.
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, I am told by colleagues that children can open any jar. But there is a serious point here because many people who have slight disabilities in their hands need extra help. Such help is available. Another issue is that of understanding the list of contents when one has got into the jar because the labelling is illegible.
§ Lord Skelmersdale:My Lords, there have been two recent cases where county councils have taken steps to ban home-made cakes from summer fêtes and school assemblies. Will the Minister decry with me the statement by a spokesman for Wiltshire County Council that schools should avoid selling home-made products as they cannot be completely sure about the conditions in which the food items were prepared or stored?
§ Baroness Andrews:My Lords, the county council in question did not ban cakes. What actually happened 792 was that the school sought the advice of the county council and was advised that some products were riskier than others. These products included cream in cakes. That is proper and proportionate advice supported by the Food Standards Agency. Every school in the country is free to use its discretion about how it follows that advice.