asked the Minister for Health what measures, if any, his Department take, or propose to take, to ensure that chemicals used for dyeing, flavouring or preserving in food processing are not harmful to the consumers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Food Processing Chemicals.
4.
The use of any harmful ingredient in any article of food intended for sale for human consumption is specifically prohibited by the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. In addition, wide powers are given to the Minister for Health under Part V of the Health Act, 1947, as amended, to make regulations for the prevention of danger to the public health from the manufacture, preparation, importation, storage, distribution or exposure for sale of food intended for sale for human consumption. The current controls which apply in this connection are embodied in the Preservatives, etc., in Food Regulations, which prohibit the use, with certain specified exemptions, of preservatives and also the presence in food of certain harmful colouring matters.
The whole field of the use of additives and the presence of harmful ingredients in food has been under review by the Food Advisory Committee set up under the auspices of my Department to advise on this difficult technical problem. Some time ago the committee made recommendations for revision of the regulations in certain respects but subsequently asked that action should be deferred pending a more comprehensive examination by them of some aspects in the light of recent developments in other countries. I understand that the committee expect to be able to submit a fuller report shortly and I hope that new regulations, based on their recommendations, will be formulated and published within the next few months.