MPs vote in favour of banning liquid nitrogen in drinks
The debate in the House of Commons on Friday was tabled by David Morris MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale. Victim Gaby Scanlon is a member of his constituency.
Morris explained that not many people know the dangers of liquid nitrogen when used in drinks. "There are bars and restaurants across the country who do not know this point and serve the cocktail on a regular basis," he said.
He added: “I call on the minister, and the ministers in the Department of Health to support an outright ban on liquid nitrogen as an ingredient. I believe that when someone walks into a bar or restaurant in this country they have a right to know what is being served and that it is safe, and we in this House have a duty to impose that.”
Health minister Daniel Poulter explained that after the incident, the FSA (Food Standards Agency) issued a warning against the ingredient. He added that existing legislation prohibits the sale of any ingredient that is harmful, and that licensees can lose their licence if they serve such products.
He said: "We do not yet have all the information about what happened in the bar inLancaster, so we need to wait for the conclusion of the investigation by the council. However, I reassure my Honorable Friend that we will take the results of that investigation seriously and the FSA will consider them. We must ensure that what happened to Gaby does not happen again to other young people."
