§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department has received from the cheese manufacturing industry concerning the proposals made in the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations;
(2) how many cases of food poisoning have been traced to hard cheeses in the last three years;
(3) whether the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations will apply to traditionally produced hard cheeses when (a) vacuum packed and (b) wax coated;
(4) how many cases of food poisoning have been traced to hard cheeses delivered in the post over the last five years.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations 1990 specify that mould (or other microorganism) ripened soft cheese should be temperature controlled. Hard cheese is only covered by the regulations in cooked products. The regulations do not differentiate vacuum packed or wax coated cheeses.
Data on the incidence of outbreaks of food poisoning related to particular foods is not in itself a conclusive indicator of the need for controls to improve food hygiene.
§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effect of the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations on the mail-order food industry.
§ Mr. DorrellI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) on 21 February at columns245–46. The Government are consulting mail order firms and others on proposals for amendments to these regulations, including an exemption for mail order to allow industry more time to develop practical means of achieving necessary controls. Amending regulations will be laid before Parliament when the consultation is complete.