HC Deb 03 March 1989 vol 148 cc368-9W
Mr. David Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding health problems associated with goat's cheese, if they referred to British or imported varieties; and if they were from pasteurised or unpasteurised milk.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Confirmed reports to the public health laboratory service show that in England and Wales there have been two incidents of health problems associated with goat's cheese. In 1980, salmonella typhimurium was isolated from an imported soft goat's cheese. It is not known whether the milk used was pasteurised. In 1988 there was a case of listeriosis associated with the consumption of a United Kingdom-produced goat's milk cheese. In this case, the milk was heated beyond pasteurisation temperature during the manufacturing process.