Hansard

Food Poisoning

Volume 177: debated on Monday 23 July 1990

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Sir Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of campylobacter food poisoning have been reported to his Department over the last 12 months; and whether any health warnings about the bacteria have been published.

Mr. Dorrell

Laboratory reports to the public health laboratory service communicable disease surveillance centre of campylobacter for England and Wales are:—

  • 1989 = 32,7451
  • 1990 to week 26 (that is, week ending 29 June) = 15,7681

1 Provisional.

In May 1989, 14 million copies of the food safety leaflet—a copy is available in the Library—jointly published by the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were distributed to the general public. This leaflet gave advice on how food could be handled safely to avoid the human health risks posed by some types of bacteria, including campylobacter.