§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies have been undertaken by his Department into the problems of poor refrigeration in households being insufficient to combat listeria in food; and what plans has he to ensure that new refrigeration units are fitted with thermometers. [34234]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggA survey on the temperatures in domestic refrigerators was carried out by the university of Bristol on behalf of MAFF. The report "Consumer handling of chilled foods: A survey of time and temperature conditions" was published in October 1991. As a result of the survey, MAFF agreed with refrigerator manufactures and consumer groups to issue a "FoodSense" booklet "Keeping Food Cool and Safe".
There are no plans to require new refrigeration units to be fitted with thermometers. However, the Ministry encourages manufactures to supply simple thermometers with the appliance instructions. The "FoodSense" booklet encourages consumers to use fridge thermometers and gives advice on where to place them.