asked the Minister for Health following the recent annual report of the Western Health Board's public analyst (details supplied) regarding foodstuffs, if he intends investigating the problem of unsavoury additions to food and the regulations governing the producing of these foodstuffs before they are put on sale to the public.
Written Answers. - Unsavoury Additions to Food.
47.
The public analyst for the western region in his annual report for 1987 concludes from the work carried out in the laboratory during the year that the quality of food on sale throughout the region is of a very high standard and in general complies with existing food law.
However, he also comments on a number of samples submitted by members of the public where contaminants of various kinds had gained access to the food during harvesting, processing, preparation or storage and suggested that the solution lay in a system of batch inspection of foodstuffs prior to their being offered for sale.
As the public analyst acknowledges in his report, the European Commission has made proposals for a Council directive on the official inspection of foodstuffs. Under these proposals foodstuffs at all stages of production, manufacture, import, processing, storage, transport, distribution and trade would be subject to a system of inspection agreed between member states. I will be reviewing existing food legislation in the light of these developments at European level.