Baby Milk Powder: Cereulide

Earl of Effingham Excerpts

Wednesday 4th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

In my preparation for this Question, which is an important one, I asked a similar question to officials, particularly those from the FSA, and they assured me that testing shows we are meeting the right standards. They also made the point that this is all covered by the Food Safety Act. In their opinion, they have the tools to do the job. I am not aware that there has been something wrong in the management of this live incident, but I am aware that the FSA and the UK Health Security Agency are liaising very closely with the manufacturers to establish the root cause of the possible presence of this toxin. But I can also reassure your Lordships’ House that it is confined to certain batches. That is the information that is going out.

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, providing the best nutrition for children of all ages is surely a “must have”. So, why do the Government allow ultra-processed foods to constitute between two-thirds and three-quarters of calories in UK school meals? They are high in fat, sugar and salt. That is not a good combination.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Earl has moved from food safety to what is in food. Food standards applicable to school meals are both monitored and in place. As he knows, the general advice from the NHS on processed foods is that we would all benefit from eating less of the foods that are high-fat, high-salt and high-sugar. But those foods are not presenting the immediate safety concerns. I make that distinction as we are looking here at toxins in products.