§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he is taking following the publication of the survey by Bristol environmental department, a copy of which has been sent to him, which indicates that listeria monocystogenes affected one in every 15 samples of pre cooked-chilled chicken;
43W(2) what information he has as to the proportion of cook-chill food bought from supermarkets which is potentially fatal as a result of the presence of listeria, and what steps he is taking to reduce this proportion.
§ Mr. FreemanAt the request of the Department, the public health laboratory service has been undertaking a national survey of cooked and chilled foods. The results of this survey are expected shortly. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has commissioned studies into the temperature sensitivity of listeria monocytogenes and both the Department and the Ministry are working together with retail and manufacturing sectors of industry to consider optimal production methods for these foods.
Where a product has actually been identified as contaminated the local environmental health officers will take appropriate action in the usual way.
A statement was issued by the Department on 12 January and this has been copied to chief environmental health officers of local authorities. A copy has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in the light of new evidence of the presence of listeria in a substantial proportion of cook-chill food, he will now order the immediate suspension of the implementation of cook-chill catering in hospitals.
§ Mr. FreemanNo. The recent survey by Bristol environmental health department did not find listeria in any hospital produced cook-chill food. The one positive result came from a purchased previously prepared product that would have been subjected to further testing and processing before being released for consumption.