Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research conducted by the University of Southampton into foodborne pathogens and the effect of chlorine washing of salad products and meat, in particular the study Viable but nonculturable Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica Thompson induced by chlorine stress remain infectious, published on 18 April 2018.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that it is aware of this research. The FSA’s view is that whilst it is plausible that viable but nonculturable cells could potentially cause foodborne disease, to date there is no documented evidence that demonstrates this occurs in the food chain. There remains a high level of uncertainty over the likelihood of occurrence and conditions that would be needed for this to happen but the FSA will continue to review the literature and monitor the latest developments on the topic.