§ Mr. Charles ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the food science research
Department of health food science related research projects Project title Duration Cost (£) Organisation 1994/95 Detection of specific mRNA as an index of viability in stressed foodborne microbes 36 months 256,626 Institute of Food Research Quantitative detection of metabolically active Campylobacter spp. in four hours 24 months 70,644 University of Nottingham 1995/96 Assessment of the degree of heat treatment necessary to destroy E. coli 0157 24 months 159,631 University of Reading The application of notational analysis and hazard analysis to assess the potential for cross contamination in domestic food preparation 36 months 66,857 Cardiff Institute of Higher Education Food safety risks scores and food operations risk scores of targeted groups of consumers and the evaluation of hygiene intervention 36 months 69,832 Cardiff Institute of Higher Education Investigation of methods for logging and recording the temperature of food samples submitted for microbiological analysis 21 months 51,532.30 Preston Public Health Laboratory A study into tolerance and survival in salmonellas particularly Salmonella typhimurium DT104 12 months 37,524 Exeter Public Health Laboratory 1996/97 Acid tolerance and pH homeostasis of verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli 36 months 126,304 University of Aberdeen Quantitative detection of metabolically active Campylobacter spp. in four hours 12 months 44,481 University of Nottingham Development and evaluation of solid media to identify verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli and to detect verocytotoxin in clinical and food samples by a novel method producing a direct colour response to both the toxin antigen and its biological activity 36 months 286,083.12 Laboratory of the Government Chemist Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP): development of a protein phosphatase inhibition (PPI) assay and tissue culture assay for the detection of DSP toxins in shellfish 12 months 38,356 Public Health Laboratory Service In addition, the Department currently funds a Unit at St. Bartholomew's Hospital for research into the toxicology of chemicals some of which can be found in food.