Written question asked by Martin Caton (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 February 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 26 February 2002. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 February 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has commissioned into the causes of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.

Answer: Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has commissioned into the causes of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. [34536] Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply. The Food Standards Agency has an extensive on-going programme of research on shellfish poisoning. This contains a specific project that seeks to understand more about the relationship between the source of the toxins, microscopic algae in the water that shellfish feed on, and the presence of toxin in the shellfish. Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning is included in this work.

Secondary information