Public confidence in food safety issues will be protected, as the Government confirmed its intention to retain the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with a renewed focus on food safety.
The FSA in England will focus on its core remit of food safety policy and enforcement. The Department of Health will become responsible for nutrition policy in England, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will become responsible for Country of Origin Labelling, and various other non-safety-related food labelling and food composition policies in England.
The FSA was established as a non-ministerial Government Department in 2000. Its primary purpose was to secure food safety and provide vital advice to Government and to the public;a role that the Government believes must remain independent.
Reorganising in this way will contribute to the Government?s objectives to improve efficiency, and is paramount to the key priority of improving the health of the nation by creating a public health service. To achieve this coherence, some policy-based functions can be brought „in house? to give a more coordinated approach on health and food issues.
Ministers and officials at the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working closely with the FSA to implement the following changes:
Food Standards Agency
- Retains a clearly defined departmental function focused on its core remit of food safety. This means that, on crucial issues of food safety, the independent advice from FSA experts would be final.
- Retains current responsibility for nutrition and labelling policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Approximately 2,000 staff will remain at the FSA.
Lord Rooker, Chair of the FSA, said:
“Food safety and hygiene have always been at the heart of what the Agency does. They are our top priorities in protecting the interests of consumers.”
- Nutrition policy will be transferred to the Department of Health. This includes front of pack nutrition labelling, such as Guideline Daily Amounts.
The transfer of nutrition policy into the Department of Health directly contributes to the Government’s plans for public health. In the long-term, bringing policies ‘in house’ will enable better services to be created and clearer information to be given to the public. - The Department of Health will, as a result, be able to press industry to contribute more on improving the health of the nation. This includes reformulation, and provision of nutrition information in supermarkets and restaurants.
- Approximately 70 policy posts will move to the Department from the FSA.
Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, said:
- Country of Origin Labelling will transfer to Defra. This will support delivery of the Government’s commitment to deliver honesty in food labelling and ensure that consumers can be confident about where their food comes from.
- It will also support delivery of one of Defra’s top priorities: Ministers’ firm commitment to support and develop British farming and encourage sustainable food production, and promote increased domestic food production.
- Other policy areas that will transfer to Defra include composition policy which is about agreeing the components and standards for characterising products such as honey, jam, chocolate, ice-cream or meat content of sausages).
- Approximately 25 policy posts will move to Defra from the FSA.
Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said:
