§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been done into the link between plated food served in hotels and botulism and food poisoning generally.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department of Health is presently funding two projects specifically related to the organism responsible for botulism.
The first project, funded at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, looks at the factors affecting the heat resistance of spores of non-proteolytic strains—those capable of growth and toxin production at low temperatures—of Clostridium botulinum and the effect of preservation conditions on heat-damaged spores.
The second project, funded at the Campden Food and Drink Research Association, seeks to determine the growth potential of Clostridium botulinum non-proteolytic types B and E following heat treatment in foods containing lysozyme—a naturally occurring substance which can protect Clostridium botulinum spores.