Day 106 - 23 Mar 95 - Page 51


     
     1        it is corrected to 20 per cent.  Either it was mistold or
     2        I misheard or mis-remembered.  I am prepared to accept that
     3        I either misheard or mis-remembered.  The one thing that
     4        did strike me was the way the various consignments were
     5        blended to standardise the fat content.  Fat content
     6        apparently is quite an important physical parameter for the
     7        cookability of the burgers.  Therefore, that struck me also
     8        as another process which, effectively, shared the
     9        contamination room; another opportunity for sharing
    10        contamination.  This is another facet of the
    11        industrialisation of the process is where the consistency
    12        of product, that control of contamination is essentially
    13        sacrificed to consistency.  The important parameter there
    14        is consistency, not contamination loading.
    15
    16   Q.   What is your view on the sampling procedures of the raw
    17        meat arriving at McKey's?
    18        A.  I have had an opportunity to scan a lot of the
    19        documents and there is a large amount of sampling there
    20        which tends to be ritualistic.  There are a lot of TVCs
    21        taken, Total Viable Counts, which are interesting but of
    22        marginal use.  I understand from the documents that they
    23        are looking at various parameters, TVC being only one.
    24        I think it might help if I refer to the appropriate
    25        document.
    26
    27   MS. STEEL:  It might be tab 3.
    28
    29   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Which volume?
    30
    31   THE WITNESS:  This is volume VIII, tab 3.  That can be read in
    32        conjunction, my Lord, with tab 10 which is the book extract
    33        on which, if I can refer you to page 133, the fourth page
    34        in is table 19 in the sampling plan.  Now essentially -----
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is page 91 of the bundle, is it, at the
    37        bottom?
    38
    39   THE WITNESS:  That is the number on it, yes, my Lord.  The
    40        sampling plan referred to on page 91 is a sampling plan
    41        directed to getting a realistic assessment of the TVC, the
    42        Total Viable Count.  It was for that purpose that it was
    43        designed.  However, it is not a realistic programme and not
    44        a realistic sampling plan for identifying specific
    45        pathogens, viz. E.coli and specifically E.coli 0157, or
    46        perfringens, staphylococcus or salmonella, and particularly
    47        salmonella.  I note no tests are taken on campylobacter.
    48        Now for some many years the Ministry ----
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What was the second one you mentioned? 
    51        A.  E.coli clostridium perfringens, that is the third on 
    52        the list, staphylococci or salmonella. 
    53
    54   Q.   I am not sure I have been following you.  What sampling
    55        plan is used for that?
    56        A.  Well, the list on page 38 gives in the first column N
    57        which it marks down as five.  That five in the first
    58        against aerobic mesophile bacteria relates back to page 91
    59        where, again, you will see across the column five another N
    60        which says five.

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