§ Mr. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will detail the number of cases of United Kingdom produced cheeses in which listeria infection has been identified over the past 12 months; if he will express that number as a proportion of the total United Kingdom cheese production over the same period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[holding answer 16 February 1989]: One case of listeriosis associated with United Kingdom produced cheese has been reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service in the past 12 months. Cheese production in the United Kingdom in 1987, the last year for which figures are available centrally, totalled 263,900 tonnes.
There has been a variety of published evidence indicating the risk associated with both unpasteurised and pasteurised soft cheeses. In particular, I draw the hon. Member's attention to the "Report of the WHO Informal Working Group on Foodborne Listeriosis", Geneva 15–19 February 1988 and "Occurrence in the UK of Listeria species in Raw Chicken and Soft Cheeses" published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology 1988 vol. 6. However, as indicated in his public statement on 10 February 1989, the Government's Chief Medical Officer has recently been taking further expert advice on the risks.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of listeriosis have been attributed to(a) unpasteurised milk, (b) unpasteurised milk products, (c) pasteurised milk, and (d) pasteurised milk products in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[holding answer 16 February 1989]: Confirmed reports to the Public Health Laboratory Service show that in England and Wales there have been two cases of listeriosis associated with products made with unpasteurised milk, one in 1986 and one in 1988. In both cases, the milk was heated beyond pasteurisation temperatures during the manufacturing process. There have been no reports of listeriosis attributed to either pasteurised or unpasteurised milk, or to products made with pasteurised milk.