Day 107 - 24 Mar 95 - Page 70
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2 5. The environment: Any of the surfaces, utensils or
3 tools which may, in turn, have been contaminated by any one
4 of the three previous sources.
5
6 The investigator must identify the source if a complete
7 picture of the outbreak is to be built up.
8
9 4.3.3, Causes: The cause is the combination of the
10 sequence of events which led up to the outbreak. The
11 simplest cause arises when a food ingredient arrives at the
12 kitchen in a highly contaminated state, sufficient to
13 poison the consumers. This is very rare indeed".
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15 Does that hold good at the present day, Mr. North?
16 A. It holds good in respect of food poisoning, with the
17 qualification of this particular type of salmonella in
18 relation to poultry, the salmonella enteritidis which we
19 found latterly, was on occasions given this incredibly high
20 doses.
21
22 Q. Then you go on: "What usually happens is that a very small
23 amount contamination is introduced into the food at any one
24 of a number of stages. The food is not subjected to any
25 process after the introduction of the bacteria, and then a
26 period of time is allowed which enables the bacteria to
27 multiply to disease levels.
28
29 It is quite possible for an egg to be a source of
30 contamination. For there to be a food poisoning outbreak,
31 however, there must" -- and you put that word in bold --
32 "have been a significant period when, in the made-up
33 products, the bacteria are exposed to warm conditions that
34 allow them to multiply.
35
36 A primary factor in the cause of an outbreak, therefore, is
37 usually a breakdown of temperature control in the chain of
38 production or distribution".
39
40 Subject to all allowable reservations and qualifications
41 you might put in if you were writing a longer piece, does
42 this hold good as a general exposition of the sequence of
43 events and causes of food poisoning outbreaks?
44 A. Certainly of food poisoning as distinct from
45 food-borne, absolutely.
46
47 Q. Food-borne?
48 A. Food-borne.
49
50 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Food-borne. Then although you mentioned eggs
51 and you start off at 4.3 on the previous page: "An outbreak
52 of food poisoning" which is non-specific, this would apply
53 to all salmonella, would it?
54 A. Yes.
55
56 MR. RAMPTON: It would apply to campylobacter as well?
57 A. No, it would not.
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, because that falls into other category.
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