Mr. HaginTo ask the Minister of agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information she has concerning the number of people in the United Kingdom(a) who currently use and (b) who have suffered adverse health reactions as a result of using comfrey in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. SoamesThe information requested is not collected, but the independent expert committees that advise Ministers on food safety issues concluded that there was sufficient evidence linking the intake of comfrey to toxic effects in humans to warrant action to reduce intakes of comfrey. A particular concern was the very high levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids generally present when comfrey is presented in concentrated form.