Written question asked by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative) on Friday, 2 September 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 September 2011. It was answered by Anne Milton (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 September 2011 on behalf of the Department of Health.

MRSA

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the incidence of MRSA in milk.

Answer: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food hygiene matters, that there are no plans to introduce new legislative proposals to reduce the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in milk.Current evidence suggests that there is a negligible food safety risk from MRSA bacteria in milk. The vast majority of milk sold for human consumption is pasteurised and this process is effective in destroying bacteria present in the milk, including any MRSA.

Secondary information