§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what response he has made to the Mail Order Fine Food Association's "Proposals for Improving Safety Standards in Mail Order Foods", a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryI have recently written to the Mail Order Fine Foods Association outlining my response to that organisation's paper entitled "Proposals for Improving Safety Standards in Mail Order Foods". I welcome the formation of the association and applaud its primary objective of introducing and maintaining improved standards of food quality and hygiene throughout the mail order trade. Moreover, the association's initiative in drawing up a code of good hygiene practice for the mail order food industry is to be commended. Given the importance of temperature control and of scrupulous14W attention to hygiene at the production and packing stages of all foods, I shall be interested to follow the progress of this code and the extent to which, though voluntary, it commands general acceptance in the mail order sector.