asked the Minister for Health whether he will ensure that the precise date on which perishable foodstuffs have been packaged will be printed on the outside of packages.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Date Marking of Packaged Foodstuffs.
3.
While I am not at the moment considering the making of regulations to provide for the date marking of perishable foodstuffs, I am keeping the matter under review.
Has the public any kind of defence at all against food that has been packed over a long period and has deteriorated?
There are regulations about serving food the quality of which is liable to cause danger to the public. This is a most complex question and I have not in my Department any evidence that foods that are sold beyond a certain date are causing illness amongst the public. I should be very glad to get evidence, if there is any evidence. The Food Advisory Committee is engaged on a matter which I regard as a priority interest, namely, the use of additives. The whole question of food preparation, and its quality, will be the subject of legislation and regulation later on. The Food Advisory Committee is also examining the use of pesticides and their effect on the quality of food. Frankly, I do not think the matter raised is a priority, but I will keep it under review and, if I find any evidence that food sold beyond its correct date is not, first of all, noticed by the consumer as being, as it were, out of date and, secondly, can have an ill effect on the public, I will consider asking the Food Advisory Committee to examine the matter, if I can get any substantive evidence to support the complaint.