HC Deb 12 March 2002 vol 381 cc945-6W
Dr. Murrison

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to impound olive oil that is suspected of being contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. [6055]

Yvette Cooper

I have been asked to reply.

I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.

On 4 July 2001, the Food Standards Agency was notified of the contamination of Spanish olive-pomace oil with high levels of benzo(a)pyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that could cause cancer. To protect consumers, the agency advised retailers to withdraw all Spanish olive-pomace oil from the UK market and recall fat spreads and dressings containing olive-pomace oil as an ingredient. This advice does not apply where it can be shown that the olive-pomace oil or products in which it is used contain acceptably low levels of benzopyrene.

On 14 August 2001, the agency alerted the public following notification of high levels of benzo(a)pyrene in two batches of olive-pomace oil produced in Greece. The UK distributor withdrew the batches and any remaining in circulation should not be used. The agency is continuing to be notified where high levels of

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Ernst and Young School Leadership Division, Policy adviser Consultant DfES 9/10/2000 to 31/3/2001
International Computers Ltd. UfI Transition Team, Assisted in establishment of UfI organisation as a public private partnership G7 Parent Organisation 2/6/1998 to 30/11/1998
Aqumen Services Private Finance Division, Advising Department on public/private finance. Adviser DfES 10/4/1998 to 1/11/1998
Ernst and Young Teachers Pay and Pensions, Policy Adviser Consultant DfES 1/1/2000 to 31/12/2000
Pannell, Kerr, Foster Private Finance Division, Finance Adviser G7 DfES 30/7/1997 to 31/3/1998
The Link Group Workplace Learning Division, Head of Learning Projects G6 Parent Organisation 2/4/2001 to 31/3/2002
XANSA New Deal Task Force, Co-ordination of Ambition IT Project G7 Parent Organisation 1/1/2001 to 30/9/2001
Ernst and Young National College for School Leadership, Consultant Consultant Parent Organisation 15/5/2000 to 14/11/2000
Next Employment Agency Member of the Secretariat for the National Disability Council SEO Parent Organisation 1/9/1998 to 31/8/2000
Ernst and Young Transforming Secondary Education, Policy adviser Consultant DfES 3/10/2000 to 22/12/2000
Enigma Productions Financial and Analytical Services, Financial adviser Consultant DfES 13/3/2000 to 12/3/2001

benzopyrene are found in olive-pomace oil produced in the European Union. Where these products are sold in the UK they have been removed from sale.

On 29 November 2001, the agency completed a survey of olive and olive-pomace oils to determine the levels of benzo(a)pyrene in oils sold in the UK from Greece, Italy and Spain. Where elevated levels of benzo(a)pyrene were found during the survey in some samples of olive-pomace oils, action was taken to prevent the sale of the product and the European Commission notified.