§ Lord Stanley of Alderleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in assessing the relevance and potential risks of microbiological contamination in any foodstuff with a view to determining unfitness, enforcement officers should have regard to the nature of the contamination and the treatment to which the food will be exposed prior to consumption; and whether a structured risk assessment should be carried out before any action is taken. [HL3105]
§ Baroness HaymanDecisions on enforcement action on contaminated foodstuffs lie with individual food authorities. A thorough assessment of the risk would normally be undertaken as part of the decision making process. This would take into account the nature of the contamination, the process to be applied to the foodstuff before consumption, and other factors relevant to whether the foodstuff was likely to cause human illness.