Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward regulations on the sale of salad washed in chlorine; and if she will make a statement.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that chlorinated water is widely used to wash salad, particularly in ready to eat salad, and can be used by food business operators as a rinsing aid to control process hygiene during product washing.

There are currently no plans to legislate beyond the existing legal requirements as laid down in General Food Law which states that all foods sold to consumers must be safe. Any technologically unavoidable residue remaining in the food must not present a health risk. The FSA regularly reviews the situation.