UK Parliament / Open data

Untreated Milk: Health Hazards

Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Monday, 3 July 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 July 2023. It was answered by Lord Markham (Conservative) on Monday, 3 July 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) health benefits, and (2) health hazards, of drinking untreated raw cow's milk.

Answer

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has policy responsibility for food safety, including Raw Drinking Milk (RDM). A Risk Assessment was conducted on RDM by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in 2018 and considered by the FSA Board that year. The conclusion was that the risk from RDM is not so unacceptable as to justify removing the right of adult consumers to choose to drink it. However, to protect public health and balance consumer choice and business growth, improvements to the controls applied by Food Business Operators were required and have now been implemented.

There has been no assessment made of the health benefits or hazards of consuming unpasteurised cheddar cheese or whey butter, and no assessment made of the health benefits of consuming untreated raw cow’s milk.

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8662
Session
2022-23
Untreated Milk: UK Internal Trade
Friday, 14 July 2023
Written questions
House of Lords
Grouped for answer
Yes
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