§ Sir W. Smilesasked the Minister of Food what precautions are being taken to prevent the sale of tinned food in Northern Ireland on which the maximum age of safety has been exceeded; what action is being taken on the case reported to him by the hon. Member for County Down; in how many cases has tinned food for which the maximum date of safety has expired been sold with the approval of his Department; and how many cases of food poisoning from old stocks of tinned food have been reported to him.
§ Mr. StracheyFrom the papers which the hon. Member was good enough to send me, I find that he has in mind certain tinned foods, surplus to Army requirements, which are now being distributed through the trade. Such goods bear the date up to which the manufacturer gave a warranty to the Army authorities, but it is quite untrue that they are unfit for human consumption after that date. They are, of course, carefully examined before issue and the advice of the Government chemist or the health authorities is invariably sought, and if there is any doubt 79W as to their condition; these particular articles were sampled by the Government chemist, who reported favourably both on their wholesomeness and on their nutritive value. Large quantities of these surplus Army stores have been distributed and no case of food poisoning from such a source has ever been reported to me. I am making inquiries as to the particular instance referred to in the letter which the hon. Member gave me, and will let him know the results.