§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances have been notified to his Department of poisoning caused through the consumption of contaminated soft cheese or unpasteurised milk during each of the last three years.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[holding answer 16 February 1989]: Confirmed cases of food poisoning associated with the consumption of soft cheese and unpasteurised milk reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service in the years from 1986–88 are as follows:
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Unpasteurised milk Soft cheese 1986 347 1 1987 366 — 1988 122 1 1 Provisional.
There has been a variety of published evidence indicating the risk associated with both unpasteurised and pasteurised soft cheeses. In particular, I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the "Report of the WHO Informal Working Group on Foodborne Listeriosis", Geneva 15–19 February 1988 and "Occurrence in the United Kingdom of Listeria species in Raw Chicken and Soft Cheeses" published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology 1988 volume 6. However, as he indicated in his public statement on 10 February 1989, the Government's Chief Medical Officer has recently been taking further expert advice on the risks.