Day 104 - 15 Mar 95 - Page 28


     
     1        It is related to an EC directive on water.  He will have
     2        been applying those standards there.
     3
     4   Q.   That is done by a different method of analysis, is it?
     5        A.  Yes.  They are counting the colonies which are visible
     6        with a low powered microscope, actually, rather than
     7        counting the organisms per square centimetre.  It is a
     8        different method of analysis.
     9
    10   Q.   We know that with meat the result of the analysis is
    11        expressed in colonies per gramme?
    12        A.  Yes.
    13
    14   Q.   Here we see under "Notes" that the swab counts are,
    15        presumably, for the physical features of the building and
    16        the equipment expressed as colonies forming units per
    17        square centimetre.  Do you see it at "Notes"?
    18        A.  Yes.
    19
    20   Q.   Is that orthodox practice?
    21        A.  Yes, the microbiologists do seem to switch between
    22        counting per gramme and per square centimetre.
    23
    24   Q.   It might be difficult to measure a gramme of stainless
    25        steel, might it not?
    26        A.  Indeed, yes.  For meat, I mean, they still apply those
    27        two measures to meat but with hard surfaces
    28        obviously  .....
    29
    30   Q.   Then if you go over to page 69, you see again what appear
    31        to be the same range of tests, pages 69 and 70, yes?
    32        A.  Yes.
    33
    34   Q.   Somebody has put crosses against the results of trimtable,
    35        trimtable, cutting block and cutting block on the first
    36        page, do you see those?
    37        A.  Yes, I do.
    38
    39   Q.   Also against "lairage" at page 70.  Do you know what those
    40        crosses indicate?  They get a grade "E" in each of those
    41        cases.
    42        A.  Yes.  They are not quite as good as the Bs and Cs.  The
    43        actual counts are not high.  They are still within
    44        acceptable ranges but they call attention to themselves.
    45
    46   Q.   Do you know whether Bristol Food Laboratories actually have
    47        a numerical limit, as it were, or range within each grade?
    48        A.  Not in this case, because there are so many different
    49        standards required by different customers.  So, the
    50        laboratory will use their experience to, sort of, highlight 
    51        areas which in the case of equipment indicate that they 
    52        just need to continue to pay attention to the cleaning and 
    53        sanitizing processes that go on.  They are perfectly
    54        acceptable, but the purpose of these monitoring exercises
    55        is to keep a tight control on things.
    56
    57   Q.   That report was produced on 25th March.  The next page,
    58        page 71, is on 25th April which is four days before
    59        Ms. Hovi left.  Again I ask you only to glance at that
    60        one.

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