§ Dr. MoonieTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the risk of acquiring(a) E. coli 0157, (b) salmonella sp or (c) campylobacter infection from the consumption of unpasteurised milk or dairy products; and if he will make a statement; [30727]
(2) how many outbreaks of food poisoning there have been in each year between 1986 and 1996, listed according to the known infective agent; how many of each were linked to the consumption of unpasteurised milk or dairy products; and if he will make a statement; [30727]
(3) what research he has commissioned on faecal contamination of unpasteurised milk; what were the results; and if he will make a statement. [30728]
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§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 24 February 1998]: The potential for acquiring E. coli O157, Salmonella or Campylobacter infection from the consumption of raw cow's drinking milk is considerably higher than that for pasteurised milk. Microbiological surveys have shown that raw cows' milk in England and Wales is a potential source of these pathogenic microorganisms. In England and Wales between 1992 and 1996 there were 15 reported outbreaks of illness involving E. coli O157, Salmonella species or Campylobacter species where milk was the suspected source. Of these outbreaks, 10 were directly associated with raw milk and 5 with pasteurised milk, of which 2 were attributed to pasteurisation failure. As the volume of raw milk consumed in England and Wales is only a small fraction of the total liquid milk drunk, the risk of a person becoming infected from drinking raw milk is, therefore, substantially greater than the risk of a person becoming infected from drinking pasteurised milk.
In response to a request by the Government's independent expert Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, we commissioned surveillance of the prevalence of E. coli O157 in raw cow's milk cream and raw milk cheeses. The Committee will be asked to consider the public health significance of the results when these become available.
The Department commissioned ADAS to undertake a survey of the microbiological status of raw (unpasteurised) cows' drinking milk in England and Wales. The survey shows that 62 per cent. of milk samples had evidence of organisms indicating faecal contamination. The findings of the survey have been summarised in the December 1997 issue of the Food Safety Information Bulletin. Copies are available in the Library.
The Government are currently funding surveys on the microbiological status of raw milk from cows, sheep and goats. This work includes looking for microorganisms indicating faecal contamination.
The information requested about outbreaks of food poisoning in the years 1986 to 1996, listed to known infective agent has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the notified cases of food poisoning associated with(a) raw milk and (b) pasteurised milk in each of the last five years. [31870]
§ Ms JowellThe information in the format requested is not routinely collected as the majority of notified cases of food poisoning are sporadic and the vehicle of infection is not known. Cases may also occur as part of general outbreaks and for some of these the vehicle of infection may be established. During the period 1993–96, there were 13 reported general outbreaks involving milk and dairy products in England and Wales. Nine outbreaks were associated with unpasteurised milk, affecting 146 people, and four outbreaks were associated with pasteurised milk, affecting 111 people. Of the four outbreaks involving pasteurised milk, three were due to pasteurisation failure and one was due to recontamination756W after pasteurisation. Detailed information on these outbreaks has been published in the monthly publication "CDR Review", Volume 7, No. 3, dated 7 March 1997, Table 1. Copies have been placed in the Library.
For 1997 provisional information indicates that there were no general outbreaks of food poisoning in England and Wales associated with pasteurised milk. There was one reported general outbreak in England and Wales associated with unpasteurised milk, affecting eight people.