§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield of 14 March,Official Report, column 162, in what foods the thermo-tolerance of listeria has been studied.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe foods used as a base for the research referred to in my reply to the hon. Member on 14 51W March at column 162 were cooked beef, chicken and carrots, chosen to provide an across the board sample of texture and density of food commonly used in cook-chill catering systems.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield of 14 March,Official Report, column 162, what conclusions were reached during tests as to the length of time specific temperatures must be maintained during the heating and reheating of cook-chill food in order to destroy listeria monocytogenes.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe authors of the research concluded that a temperature of 70°C for two minutes at the slowest heating point of the food was required for the effective decontamination of listeria monocytogenes.