Day 014 - 20 Jul 94 - Page 52
1
Q. Do you know Professor Ronald Walker who is going to give
2 evidence in this case next week?
A. Yes, I know him.
3
Q. Is he an academic?
4 A. Yes, he is.
5 Q. Has he any connection with the food industry?
A. Not that I am aware of.
6
Q. Is he a toxologist?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. Is the special subject of toxicology, or one of them, to
determine that which and in what quantities is harmful to
9 human health?
A. Yes.
10
Q. Is Professor Walker well regarded in the world in which
11 you operate?
A. In my opinion, he is very highly regarded and, in
12 particular, as it happens, he has written extensively on
nitrates and nitrites.
13
Q. Has he been a member of a number of these different
14 regulatory committees?
A. Yes, both in this country and in Europe.
15
Q. Can we come back to nitrites and nitrates? Is the amount
16 of nitrate and nitrite which is allowed to be used as a
preservative in food so as to inhibit, amongst other
17 things, the incidence of clostridium botulinum regulated?
A. Yes, it is.
18
Q. By this government here?
19 A. Yes, whether ------
20 Q. And by the EC?
A. I am not quite sure what the current state of the
21 legislation is, but if it is not regulated by the EC at
this stage, it will shortly be.
22
Q. You told us earlier that one of the things you were
23 concerned with was not simply nutrition but food safety.
A. That is right.
24
Q. Do you, personally, having that field of interest, know of
25 any convincing or credible evidence that either sodium
nitrate or sodium nitrite, if those be the forms of the
26 nitrate and the nitrite used, in the quantities in which
they are permitted to be used in food in this country
27 constitute any hazard to human health?
A. No, I am not aware of any evidence which would suggest
28 that that is the case. I might also add that there has
been extensive debate and discussion amongst scientists
29 and legislators, both in this country and in the United
States, on this topic.
30
Q. Is one reason for that because it is thought that
