Day 104 - 15 Mar 95 - Page 08


     
     1        say the standpoint of reality, I think you have told us the
     2        stimulus for this HACCP idea was the Food Safety Act 1990?
     3        A.  Yes.
     4
     5   Q.   How, in practice, do you think the system works as a
     6        measure for ensuring food safety?
     7        A.  It works absolutely, in my opinion, as far as food
     8        safety is concerned.  It is important, in my view, to be
     9        clear about the words "food safety".
    10
    11   Q.   Tell us what you would have us understand about that?
    12        A.  I understand by food safety, food which is safe to eat,
    13        that is, that will not cause disease or ill health.  That
    14        is food safety.  In terms of HACCP, the legal situation in
    15        an abattoir concerns itself with food safety.
    16
    17   Q.   Am I right in thinking that there are some kinds of
    18        substances, whether they be animal or vegetable, which
    19        carry a greater inherent risk to the consumer than others
    20        do?
    21        A.  Yes.  Clearly, there are certain conditions, certain
    22        diseases, which it is absolutely essential to remove from
    23        the food chain.
    24
    25   Q.   Could you, for example, make a distinction in this regard
    26        between raw chicken and raw beef?
    27        A.  Yes, looked at from the point of view of public health,
    28        that is, freedom from any substance which will cause
    29        disease, the statistics of the matter, in other words, the
    30        number of cases of food poisoning related illnesses, would
    31        seem to be caused very much more frequently by chicken than
    32        beef.
    33
    34   Q.   What, in your opinion, is the principal cause of chicken
    35        related food poisoning, what organism or organisms?
    36        A.  Salmonella is certainly the largest single organism
    37        causing food poisoning.
    38
    39   Q.   In chicken?
    40        A.  In chicken.
    41
    42   Q.   Is that organism a problem with red meat?
    43        A.  In terms of statistics, no.  The number of cases of
    44        Salmonellosis related to red meat is small in public health
    45        terms.
    46
    47   Q.   We have all heard in this court a great deal about a
    48        villainous organism called E.coli O157: H; is that an
    49        organism with which you have some familiarity?
    50        A.  I have certainly heard of that organism, yes. 
    51 
    52   Q.   What is your view of the incidence of E.coli 0157 in beef 
    53        as it is presented to the customer in a raw state?
    54        A.  From the examinations, the microbiological examination
    55        results that I have seen over the past two years, which is
    56        roughly the period during which the search has been made of
    57        the organism, I must say that I have not seen any positive
    58        results.  That is, looking at the results that I have had
    59        anything to do with as far as the meat itself goes.
    60

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