Day 016 - 22 Jul 94 - Page 48
1 A. She was, yes.
2 Q. The situation with salmonella, you say, is continuing to
deteriorate despite the measures that are being
3 introduced?
A. Well, the current officially recorded figures that are
4 regularly reported demonstrate that there is an increase
in those figures. Now there is some argument as to
5 whether that is due to an increase in the reporting rate,
or whether it is an increase, or whether it is a real
6 increase in the number of cases that are occurring. Most
people, if challenged, would say there is probably a bit
7 of both.
8 Q. Do you know what proportion of food poisoning incidents
are related to poultry?
9 A. The proportion? No, it would be pretty well
impossible to because the majority of cases of food
10 poisoning do not actually have a cause or, should I say, a
cause has not been identified.
11
Q. Where a cause is identified what is responsible, or what
12 food product is associated with it?
A. Well, as I said earlier, in relation to food poisoning
13 for salmonella in relation to food poisoning generally,
poultry is one of the products that is identified quite
14 regularly. But there are also outbreaks of cases linked
to -- for example, milk, there was one recently in
15 Scotland where there was an outbreak due to an E.coli
organism -- this occurred in Scotland -- but, of course,
16 the main reasons why outbreaks or cases occur is because
of a failure to observe the basic rules of hygiene.
17
Q. Leaving aside the reasons why they occur, what products
18 are most associated with outbreaks of food poisoning?
A. Well, again, to the best of my knowledge, and bearing
19 in mind the proviso that I have given that probably in the
majority of cases a cause has not been identified,
20 poultry, raw poultry meat, is one of the ones that is
identified.
21
But let me go on to explain that it is quite normal to
22 have a piece of poultry meat which is contaminated with
salmonella. In fact, one must assume that it will be
23 contaminated with salmonella. Therefore, one must take
this into account in the way in which the food is stored,
24 handled and cooked.
25 I mean, I must emphasise that the main reason where they
have been identified is because of failure to observe
26 temperature controls, keeping food too long and cross
contamination from something like raw poultry to, for
27 example, cooked poultry which would not subsequently be
treated.
28
Q. It is important to cook things properly?
29 A. Absolutely.
30 Q. Is that particularly true for meat products?
A. Oh, yes.
