§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to ensure that the non-statutory controls to which hospital cook-chill catering is subject are sufficient to ensure the proper protection of public health.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeHealth circular HC(86)14 sets out the requirements for hygiene that we expect health authorities to achieve on their premises. More specific guidance is given in the Health Service catering hygiene manual which requires health authorities to consult appropriate experts before a cook-chill system is introduced. I know of no cases so far reported where those requirements have not been observed and public protection not secured in National Health Service hospitals using cook-chill catering.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he is taking to ensure there is a legal requirement for retail cook-chill food to be kept refrigerated at appropriate temperatures throughout the period of its production, distribution, storage and sale;
(2) if he has any plans to extend the provisions of regulation 27 of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations to cover other foodstuffs which require to be kept under strict temperature control.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe food hygiene regulations are currently under review as part of the review of the Food Act 1984. We are considering the wider application of the temperature controls in regulation 27 of the regulations as it applies only to catering premises at the moment.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has that listeria which is not eliminated by the first cooking of food can recover and multiply under refrigeration and not be destroyed by the final reheating.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeShould listeria survive because of inadequate cooking, correct refrigerated storage will prevent any significant growth. Evidence clearly indicates that inadequate temperature control is one of the main contributory factors in outbreaks of food poisoning from any of the causative organisms. It is therefore important that good practice is observed at all stages of food production and distribution.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department have taken comprehensively to assess the significance of listeria in National Health Service cook-chill systems.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAn expert group recently reviewed my Department's guidelines for pre-cooked chilled food catering in use in the NHS and elsewhere. The group concluded that provided the guidelines are closely followed, the meals produced will be safe and microbiologically sound. My Department will continue to assess the results of studies into various aspects of listeriosis.
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§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the evidence he received between publication of the 1970 guidelines on cook-freeze catering and publication of the subsequent 1980 guidelines which led him to reconsider his policy on the appropriateness of cook-chill food for community catering.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAdvances in catering technology in the 1970s indicated that a cook-chill catering system could be safely operated on a large scale. An expert group considered that these technological advances in, for example, blast chilling, allowed such a system to be properly controlled in terms of the times and temperatures required to produce microbiologically sound food. The 1980 guidelines give detailed recommendations to help ensure this.