§ Lord Molloyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are being taken to deal with the increased number of salmonella cases.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper)Since 1986 the biggest single cause for the increasing burden of food poisoning in the country can be ascribed to the rise in infections with salmonella enteritidis phage type 4, and associated predominantly with poultry meat and eggs. The Government have introduced a comprehensvie package of measures to tackle the problem of salmonella in eggs and poultry. These measures include the requirements for testing and registration containing the Poultry Laying Flocks (Testing and Registration) Order 1989 and the Poultry Breeding Flocks and Hatcheries (Registration and Testing) Order 1989. The Zoonoses Order 1989 provides powers to require the compulsory slaughter of poultry flocks known to be infected with salmonella. Compensation is paid in accordance with the requirements of the Animal Health Act 1981.
The Chief Medical Officer has advised that everybody should avoid eating raw eggs or uncooked dishes made from them, and that the vulnerable groups should cook eggs until the white and yolk are solid. This advice, and advice on the safe cooking of poultry, was included in the Government's Food Safety booklet, which has been widely circulated since May 1989.
The latest figures from the Public Health Laboratory Service indicate a levelling off in this particular problem for 1989, in that there was only a 3 per cent. rise in the number of human isolations of salmonella enteritidis in 1989 as compared with a 152 per cent. and 67 per cent. increase respectively in 1988 and 1987. This encourages us to believe that the Government's measures are beginning to take effect.