Day 089 - 15 Feb 95 - Page 67
1 at some stage during the process, comes into contact with a
2 piece of meat which is not contaminated, then the
3 contaminated piece may contaminate the uncontaminated
4 piece, is that correct?
5 A. Yes.
6
7 Q. If no significant proliferation has taken place along the
8 way, what does 25 per cent in the samples of the finished
9 product represent by way of increased risk to human beings?
10 A. The risk to human beings could only be if that meat
11 obviously was not cooked properly. What we do not know is
12 the number of organisms that are present. So, although we
13 are saying the sample is positive, it is likely that the
14 dose is well below an infectious dose.
15
16 Q. Is it, therefore, at any rate if there has been no
17 proliferation, at least a possibility if not a probability
18 that this process where the meat is mixed, that process
19 cross-contamination, in effect, constitutes a dilution?
20 A. It probably does, yes.
21
22 Q. Are there are certain groups of humans who are especially
23 vulnerable to food poisoning by salmonella?
24 A. Yes, there are: the very young, the very old or the
25 immunocompromised are susceptible, particularly to
26 infection.
27
28 Q. Is it known what level of dosage is needed to make those
29 vulnerable groups ill?
30 A. The dosage can be very low. A very low number of
31 organisms can cause food poisoning.
32
33 Q. Is it known what for the average reasonably healthy adult
34 is the critical dosage or roughly speaking?
35 A. I am sure it is, but I am not really qualified to
36 comment on that.
37
38 Q. Do you think there is a way in which you could -- say you
39 have got your salmonella, I will ask you what it means in a
40 moment, but you have got your salmonella down to 1 per cent
41 of live birds, that is to say one bird in 100, do you think
42 there are any ways in which you can achieve, what shall
43 I say, even a 25 per cent, less than a 25 per cent
44 cross-contamination in the plant?
45 A. Oh, yes. I am very hopeful that this level will come
46 down.
47
48 Q. How will that be achieved do you think?
49 A. It will be achieved by improving plant hygiene. We are
50 making improvements to the evisceration equipment, to the
51 chilling equipment, the washing equipment. The whole
52 process is being automated to reduce the amount of handling
53 and this will make a big difference.
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is not 25 per cent cross-contamination, is
56 it?
57
58 MR. RAMPTON: That was a shorthand. It was clumsy.
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I appreciate that but I would like to try to
