HL Deb 16 October 2000 vol 617 cc72-3WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proposals they have to encourage the catering trade to prohibit smoking in areas where food is prepared and consumed. [HL3942]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Current food hygiene legislation prohibits smoking in food preparation areas in all commercial food businesses, including caterers.

This long-standing legal restriction reflects the risk to food safety from the transfer of harmful bacteria from a handler's mouth or nose onto the food he or she is preparing. This requirement, and the reasons for it, is reinforced through instruction and/or training which food handlers are required to undertake to ensure that they handle food safely.

The issue of whether or not smoking should be banned in areas where food is consumed is a matter for individual business managers and proprietors. In recent years there has been a strong move towards the provision of no smoking areas and smoking bans in many food businesses to reflect changes in customer attitudes towards passive smoking and personal preferences.