§ Sir John Farrasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list in the Official Report the steps he has taken to warn the public of the dangers of buying certain table wines at the present time;
(2) how many instances have been traced in Britain of Austrian wine diluted with an anti-freeze ingredient being offered for sale to the public; and where these bottles have been traced;
(3) what guidance he is offering to the public on the risks of buying certain table wine at the current time;
(4) what information he has about the extent to which Austrian wines diluted with an anti-freeze ingredient have been imported for sale in Britain; and if he will make a statement;
(5) whether he has received any representations about compensation arrangements for members of the public and retailers who have purchased polluted Austrian table wines.
§ Mr. JoplingOn 11 July my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services issued a public warning advising against the sale and consumption of three types of Austrian white wine which had been contaminated with di-ethylene glycol, which is normally an anti-freeze ingredient. My Department carried out further inquiries to determine the extent of the problem and by 18 July it became evident that the potential contamination was more widespread than the original three types. I therefore issued advice to trade associations advising their members to withdraw all Austrian white wine from sale and reminding them that it is a criminal offence under regulations made under the Food Act to offer for sale any wine containing di-ethylene glycol. This advice was also issued publicly on 19 July and at the same time my right hon. Friend reiterated his earlier public warning. My Department continued its investigation and it is now apparent that all Austrian wines—red, rose and white—must be regarded as suspect and I have therefore, on 25 July, extended advice accordingly.
Around 80 samples of Austrian wine in the United Kingdom had been analysed by midday 25 July either by my Food Laboratory or by public analysts. By then 14 positive instances of contaminated wine had been recorded; only one of these was from a bottle actually purchased by a consumer, in South Yorkshire. Further 842W samples are being tested and it is not yet possible to say what proportion of the total Austrian wine imported into the United Kingdom has been contaminated. I have received no representations from retailers or members of the public on the subject of compensation, which would be a matter for the customer and his supplier. My advice to distributors and retailers remains not to sell or offer for sale any Austrian wine of whatever type unless the batch concerned has been previously tested and shown to be clear of contamination.
§ Sir John Farrasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had on the dangers associated with consuming certain Austrian table wines and the necessary remedial medical antidote.
§ Mr. John PattenI have been asked to reply.
Our officials have been in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, representatives of the trade, the Commission of the European Communities and the Austrian Trade Commission concerning the addition of diethylene glycol to certain Austrian wines. The medical advice available to us is that harmful effects from consuming wines containing the chemical at the levels reported are unlikely to occur but that some ill effects might be possible in exceptional circumstances. The question of any medical treatment necessary in the unlikely event of ill effects occurring would be for the individual doctor to decide. Our Department has issued advice that, as a precautionary measure, the public should not drink any of the suspect wines pending the results of tests currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.