Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of reported cases of people affected by food poisoning for each calendar year from 1980 to the present time.
§ Mr. MellorThe numbers of formally notified and otherwise ascertained cases of food poisoning for the years 1980–87 are as follows:
Year Number 1980 110,318 1981 19,936 1982 14,253 1983 17,735 1984 20,702 1985 19,242 1986 23,948 1987 29,331 1 Formally notified only; otherwise ascertained not available.
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the Government's estimate of the ratio of unreported cases to each reported case of a person affected by food poisoning.
§ Mr. MellorWhile there is considerable under-reporting, we do not have available a precise estimate of the ratio.
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Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will proceed with plans to leaflet every household to warn against the dangers of food poisoning.
§ Mr. MellorFollowing preliminary assessment, the Government are to launch early next year a nationwide campaign to advise the public on how to prevent food poisoning in the home. Initially, this will be based on a leaflet "The Recipe for Food Safety" to be distributed extensively through supermarkets, doctors' surgeries and other outlets. Other ways of promoting good food hygiene practice in the home will also be considered.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of salmonella poisoning there have been in the last year for which figures are available; and whether the incidence of this type of food poisoning is declining or increasing.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn 1987, 20,532 isolates from humans in England and Wales were identified by the Department of enteric pathogen of the Public Health Laboratory Service. This is a 21 per cent. increase over the previous year and figures to date for this year indicate a further increase in salmonella isolates from humans.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of cases of salmonella food poisoning are estimated to be due to salmonella in eggs; what is his estimate of the proportion of the 30 million eggs eaten annually that contain the salmonella bacteria; and what advice he has circulated to the public and to the catering industry on how to avoid salmonella food poisoning from eggs.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn the first 10 months of this year there were 46 outbreaks associated with eggs involving over 1,000 cases of salmonella food poisoning. We do not have information to estimate the proportion of cases of food poisoning due to eggs as in the great majority of sporadic cases no particular food is identified as the cause of the illness. Although the risk of harm to any healthy individual from consuming a single raw or partially cooked egg is small, it is advisable for vulnerable people such as the elderly, the sick, babies and pregnant women to consumer only eggs that have been cooked until the white and yolk are solid. Advice has been given to the catering industry and the public about the handling, cooking and use of eggs.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of cases of food poisoning in the last year for which figures are available, what assessment he has made as to whether the incidence is declining or increasing; and what proportion arose from(a) home catering, (b) commercial catering and (c) catering in institutional establishments.
§ Mr. MellorIn 1987 there were 29,331 cases of food poisoning, 20,363 of which were formally notified and 8,968 ascertained by other means. Figures to date for this year indicate that the incidence is increasing. No precise data are available on proportions of cases attributable to different catering locations.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to introduce a statutory requirement that all those commercially involved in handling food take a course in food hygiene;
603W(2) if he has any plans for strengthening food hygiene legislation;
(3) what information he has concerning courses that provide training in food hygiene; and whether his Department provides any input to these courses.
§ Mrs. CurrieA review of food legislation has been the subject of wide consultation over several years and the results were reported to Ministers. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 30 October 1987, announced that officials had been asked to review the proposals in the light of the response to consultation. The proposals under review include the suggestion that training in food hygiene should be mandatory for food handlers, along with other measures.
Such training is currently provided by the food industry itself, by local authorities and by professional bodies. Departmental officials keep in close contact with training bodies and advise where necessary.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of how many cases of food poisoning due to the bacteria listeria there have been in the last year for which figures are available; whether there has been an increase or decrease in the incidence of such cases; and what evidence there is that the cook-chill method of preparation encourages these bacteria to flourish.
§ Mr. MellorI am informed of one well-documented case of food-associated listeriosis in 1986. No such cases were reported in 1987. To date in 1988 there have been three cases. None of these was associated with the cook-chill system of catering. I am satisfied that provided the Department's guidelines on cook-chill catering are carefully followed, microbiologically sound food will be produced.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of food poisoning due to campylobacter there have been in the last year for which figures are available; what indications there are as to whether the figures are declining or increasing; and what evidence there is that refrigeration helps the bacteria to thrive in poultry and underdone meat.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn most instances there is no evidence which specifically links individual reported cases of campylobacter infection with a particular food. In 1984 there were 20,861 laboratory reports of campylobacter enteritis. In 1987 this figure had increased to 25,900 and in a small proportion of these it was possible to identify a food vehicle. There is no evidence to show that the organism grows in food, refrigerated or otherwise.