§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the fact that the infectious dose of listeria monocytogenes for vulnerable people is not known, he will prohibit the consumption of food that contains listeria by those people known to be particularly at risk.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[holding answer 2 February 1989]: Listeria monocytogenes is known to be widely distributed in the environment, and the World Health Organisation working group on foodborne listeriosis has said that its total elimination from all food is impracticable and may be impossible. It is important to reduce the risks as much as possible, and both the Government and the food industry are working together to consider optimal production methods which will achieve this.