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 the and 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.’

Department of Health

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:

‘Our ambition is to create a public health system that truly helps people live longer and healthier lives. To achieve it, we can’t stand still. Changes are inevitable.

‘It’s absolutely crucial for the Food Standards Agency to continue providing independent expert advice to people about food safety. But bringing nutrition policy into the Department makes sense. It will enable a clear, consistent public health service to be created, as our Public Health White Paper later this year will set out.

‘I believe – in the-long term – we’ll have a clearer and less bureaucratic system for public health. The end result will focus on turning expert advice and support into better health.’

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

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:

‘It makes perfect sense to bring policy on food origin and associated labelling to Defra to sit with wider food policy.  The Government has made very clear its commitment to clear and honest labelling – particularly origin labelling. 

‘These changes will enable the FSA to focus on food safety and it is right that this should stay in the hands of an independent body.'

Food Standards Agency Reorganisation - BRC Reaction

It is essential technical expertise is not lost as some of the responsibilities of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are transferred to government departments.

Reacting to the Government's announcement  that some responsibilities in England will be transferred to the Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), the British Retail Consortium said structures are less important than results.

British Retail Consortium Food Policy Director Andrew Opie said:" How Government chooses to allocate these responsibilities is not the priority.

"What matters to us is the end result for customers and businesses. Any Government changes must leave us with a structure that does as good a job for customers and businesses as the FSA has done in the past.

"Labelling and food composition are complex, technical issues that are crucial to food retailers. Thousands of the products they sell every day will be affected. Food labelling is a key issue for retailers. Currently, we're in the middle of a fundamental European labelling review.

"It's vital the high-level of expertise and collaborative approach, previously available from the FSA, are retained once responsibility for these issues has been transferred.

"UK-wide retailers need consistency. We've yet to hear how this will work In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Effective delivery of health and nutrition campaigns requires good co-ordination. Avoiding a fragmented food policy is now the challenge for government departments and the devolved assemblies."

FDF Response to Decision on Food Standards Agency

Welcoming the decision to clarify the future role of the Food Standards Agency, Melanie Leech, the Food and Drink Federation's Director General, said:
“As the voice of the UK food and drink manufacturing sector, we believe it is important to maintain an independent food safety regulator and fully support today's decision by the Government to retain the Food Standards Agency

“The FSA has helped to create an environment in which public confidence in the food they eat has grown significantly in recent years and it makes sense to build on that by focusing the Agency's future activities on safety and hygiene issues. We look forward to working closely with our regulator to ensure that we maintain these high levels of consumer trust.

“We also support the decision to move responsibility for nutrition, and other food policy issues, back into Government departments. This should lead to clearer and more consistent policy making, while avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort across Whitehall.”