THE ROLE OF THE FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY NI Sharon Gilmore Consumer Choice

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THE ROLE OF THE FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY NISharon
GilmoreConsumer Choice Food Standards FSA NI
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Overview of roles and responsibilities

• Jan 2006

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What is the Food Standards Agency?

• Non-Ministerial UK Government Department
• Run by an independent Board
• Accountable through Health Ministers to
  Westminster Parliament and Devolved
  Administrations

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Origin of the Food Standards Agency

• Loss of public confidence in Government
• Perceived conflict of interest in UK Agriculture
  Departments

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Origin of the Food Standards Agency Contd

• Set up 1 April 2000 by Act of Parliament
• Functions taken from Agriculture and Health
  Ministries and Departments
• Staff transferred to a new, independent body
• 700 staff 1600 meat inspectors (MHS)
• Annual budget of 150 million

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Food Standards Agency
Purpose To protect the health of people and the
interests of consumers in relation to food Long
term aim To gain public trust and confidence as
an independent body which put interests of
consumers first
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Guiding Principles

• to put the consumer first
• to be open and accessible
• to be an independent voice

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What the Guiding Principles Mean
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FSA Roles - the Overview

• A government department responsible for
• The safety of our food
• Labelling and choice
• Diet and nutrition
• Policy Enforcement Advice Research

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FSA Role Responsibilities

• Central Competent Authority for Food Safety
• Develop Policy and Propose Legislation
• Food Alerts/Hazards
• Emergency Orders Regulations eg figs,
  pistachios, shellfish
• Standard Setting, Monitoring and Auditing
  Enforcement Authorities
• Provide Advice - Ministers, Assembly, Public

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The Food Standards Agency - Structures
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Strategic Plan 2005 - 2010

• Food Safety
• Reduce food-borne illness
• Reduce risks to consumers from chemical
  contamination of food
• Eating for Health
• Make it easier for all consumers to choose a
  healthy diet,
• Choice
• Enable consumers to make informed choices

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Eating for Health -Some targets

• Reduce salt intake to 6g per day by 2010
• Reduce the average intake of saturated fat
• Develop targets for a balance between calorie in
  and energy out
• Establish targets for the salt content of the 10
  food categories contributing most salt to the
  diet
• Track the key nutritional components of meals in
  major institutions
• Develop the Food Vision database of local food
  initiatives

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Eating for Health

• Develop and promote a food label signpost
• Encourage schools to adopt a whole school
  approach to diet and nutrition
• Work with industry to achieve changes in the way
  food is promoted to children

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SIGNPOSTING
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SIGNPOSTING
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Who inspects food businesses?

• Central and Local Government Departments
  involved with Food inspection
• District Councils
• Environmental Health Officers
• Group Officers.
• DARD
• Milk quality assurance Branch
• Veterinary Services

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Organisations supporting this work

• NIFLG
• Public Analyst
• Public Health Laboratory Service
• LACORS
• FSA
• DHSSPS
• HPA

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What does Food Control work involve?

• Hygiene Inspections
• Food Standards inspections
• Food, Ingredient, and contact material sampling
• Survey work
• Complaint investigation
• Education

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Food Hygiene

• Compliance with Hygiene Regulations on
• structure of premises
• workflows of staff ,food ,waste,
  utensils,equipment ,packaging
• HACCP system and controls

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Food standards

• Food standards
• presentation ,composition ,quality, advertising
  and labelling of food
• Require management systems in place eg ingredient
  specifications ,recipe control and production
  controls

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What are Food Standards Inspections?

• Assessing risk of not meeting standards for
  production of safe food.
• Testing management quality control systems
• Assessing compliance against composition,
  labelling and advertising.
• Assessing traceability and recall systems
• Assessing compliance against specifications
• Comparing against industry standards and codes

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Why is food sampled?

• Protect Public Health
• Detect fraudulent practices
• Ensure consumers can make informed choices
• Maintain compositional /safe standards
• Inform enforcement approach
• Ensure fair trade and detect bad practice

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How is sampling organised?

• NIFLG surveys
• LACORS surveys
• FSA surveys
• District Council EHO sample plans

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Who does the Tests on food?

• Public Analyst
• Public Health Laboratory Service- The Food
  Examiner

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What sort of tests do Public Analysts do on food?

• Measure the amount of permitted additives (e.g E
  numbers)
• Measure contaminants in food (e.g heavy metal
  contaminants, pesticides, dioxins)
• Measure the amount of ingredients declared in
  food (e.g added water)
• Measure for undeclared ingredients in food
• Authenticity testing (e.g substitution of
  expensive ingredients for cheaper ones)
• Investigate claims on food (Low fat, salt, sugar
  or high in fibre)

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Materials in contact with food

• Materials include storage containers and film
  ,ceramic containers and wrapping and packaging
  materials
• For migration testing require details on
• Unused materials , the intended use of the
  material ,storage conditions of the materials

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What happens if foods fail composition standards?

• Written warnings
• Legal cautions
• Prosecution in Magistrates Court

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Examples of some sample survey work

• Meat speciation Olive oil,
• Apple juice Tuna products,
• Water in chicken Potato varieties
• Irradiated foods Maize Oil
• Basmati rice Fat in mince
• Added H20 in scallops /scampi
• Horsemeat in imported Meat Products
• Colours in food
• Salt in local breads

• Current and future
• Meat content
• Fish species
• Farmed and wild fish
• G M materials in food

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What does the Food Examiner look for in food?

• Spoilage bacteria
• Indicators of contamination
• Pathogenic bacteria that cause illness
• Protozoa
• Toxins (Specialist labs)
• PSP/DSP (Specialist labs)

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Some examples of foods sampled
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Signposting
Contains 90 of a 6 year olds target average
daily salt intake.
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Rich in Vitamin C

• One 180ml serving contains
• 100 RDA for vitamin C
• 1 ml of blackcurrant juice
• 20g of sugar (a tablespoon)

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more than 50 sugar more than 30 fat
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Food Standards Agency
How to Contact Us General Office Tel no 02890
417708 General Office Fax no 02890
417726 Websites www.food.gov.uk www.eatwell.gov
.uk www.salt.gov.uk