Food We Can Trust

About us and our mission 2

Contents

About the Food Standards Agency 3

Mission and vision 3

Our people 4

Our approach 5

The context we work in 5

The food regulatory system 6

What we do 8

Our risk analysis process 9

Partnerships 10

Working at the FSA 11

The FSA: Protecting your plate since 2000 12 3

About the Food Standards Agency

Established in 2000 following several We are responsible for the systems that high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illness, regulate food businesses and we are at the the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the forefront of tackling food crime. independent government department working to protect public health and The FSA’s role does not just cover food consumers’ wider interests in relation to safety, but also other consumer interests food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. in food, which include price, availability, Our mission is food we can trust. and some aspects of food production standards like environmental concerns Our work not only protects people, but also and animal welfare. reduces the economic burden of foodborne illness and supports the UK economy and Our work is underpinned by the latest trade by ensuring that our food has a strong science and evidence and agreed at our reputation for safety and authenticity in the open Board meetings. Transparency is a UK and abroad. guiding principle for the FSA and key to maintaining public confidence.

Mission and vision

Our overarching mission is food we can trust, and our vision is comprised of the following goals: • Food is safe • Food is what it says it is • Consumers can make informed choices about what to eat • Consumers have access to an affordable diet, now and in the future* * the FSA only holds nutrition policy in Northern Ireland, not in England and Wales.

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Our people

More than 1,300 people work for us to make Food is a devolved matter, so the Welsh and sure food is safe and what it says it is. They Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committees include statisticians, analysts, researchers, provide advice and insight to the Board inspectors, enforcement experts, policy relating to food safety and standards in their professionals, economists, veterinarians respective countries. and more than 500 frontline staff, who work alongside our operational delivery partners The Board is also guided by independent to inspect abattoirs and other primary Scientific Advisory Committees, which draw on the views of more than 100 experts, production sites. ensuring that our guidance is always based on the best and most recent science As a non-ministerial government and evidence. department, we are governed by a Board, rather than ministers. Our Board sets the overall strategic direction of our organisation.

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Our approach

We use a scientific, evidence-based approach to ensure food is safe and what it says it is, empowering businesses and consumers to do the right thing to keep food safe. We tell the truth about food.

We strive to: food safety and standards • Be the trusted voice on food standards • Optimise data and digital capability in the consumer interest internally and externally to strengthen • Make it easy for businesses to our influence maintain food safety and standards • Operate transparently and openly • Collaborate with the most influential players in the food system to improve

The context we work in

500,000+ food establishments The UK food sector (2018/19) England, Northern Ireland and Wales Primary Producers £120.2bn agri-food sector contribution 4,000 to national Gross Value Added in 2018 (UK) Manufacturers & Packers 4.1m people 17,000 employed in the agri-food Importers/Exporters sector in Q4 2019 (GB) 1,000 £234bn consumer Distributors/Transporters expenditure on food, drink and catering in 2019 (UK) 9,000 Retailers £23.6bn food, feed and drink exports in 2019 (UK) 124,000 Restaurants & Caterers 413,000

Source: National Statistics Food Statistics in Source: Annual report on local authority your pocket: Summary food law enforcement 2018-2019

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The food regulatory system

The food system is complex and its regulation involves multiple bodies. The Food Standards Agency operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and has different policy responsibilities within these countries. Food Standards Scotland is the non-ministerial government department of the Scottish Government responsible for food safety, food standards, nutrition, food labelling, feed official controls and meat inspection in Scotland.

Policy

FSA FSA in Northern FSA in Wales Ireland Food safety and hygiene Food safety and hygiene Food safety and hygiene Animal feed safety, hygiene Animal feed safety, and labelling Animal feed safety, hygiene hygiene and labelling and labelling Food labelling (safety, Food labelling allergy) Food labelling (safety, allergy) (safety, allergy) Other food labelling Nutrition standards, (includes composition nutrition food labelling standards, country of origin) Other food labelling (includes food composition standards, country of origin)

Department for Department Welsh Government Environment, Food of Health and Nutrition standards, and Rural Affairs Social Care nutrition food labelling Other food labelling Nutrition standards, (Wales) (England) nutrition food labelling (includes composition (England) standards, country of origin)

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Who enforces food controls

FSA delivery Local authority Imported food Meat Hygiene Inspectors delivery delivery and Official Veterinarians Food Safety Officers Port Health Officers conduct hygiene, document conduct food safety and conduct risk-based and physical checks hygiene official controls. document checks, and take samples from They inspect premises to identity checks, physical approved producers of meat check that food is stored checks, and take samples (including abattoirs and and prepared safely. of food imports. cutting plants). Food Standards Officers Official Veterinarians Qualified veterinarians check that food meets and Official Fish conduct checks on animal safety, composition Inspectors products and deliver animal and nutrition labelling conduct checks on welfare checks*. standards (for example, animal products. *DAERA is responsible labelling of allergens, use- for the meat operations by dates, nutritional and delivery on behalf of the FSA compositional in Northern Ireland. information).

Food and feed businesses

Under UK food and animal feed regulations, it is the responsibility of food businesses to ensure that all food and feed placed on the market is safe, that its quality is what consumers would expect and that it is not labelled in a false or misleading way.

The FSA is directly Food businesses covered Local and port health responsible for controls by local authorities authorities in England, in approved producers include food producers, local authorities and of fresh meat (including food processors, catering APHA in Wales, and local abattoirs and cutting establishments, takeaway authorities and DAERA plants), wine and on-farm and food delivery, retailers in NI are responsible for dairy establishments. and approved dairy, meat imported food controls. FSA and local authorities and fish establishments. Feed controls are the together deliver shellfish FSA and local authorities responsibility of local official controls. together deliver shellfish authorities in England and official controls. Wales, and DAERA in NI.

Consumers

Consumers are responsible for the safe preparation and storage of food in their home and for checking labelling to ensure that food is suitable for them to eat.

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What we do

• Effective and innovative food regulation • Risk analysis – we use science and – we ensure the effectiveness of the evidence to provide advice to ministers in food regulatory system. We constantly England, Wales and Northern Ireland on refine our regulatory approach to make it food safety and consumer interests. We easier for businesses to do the right thing advise ministers on the authorisation of in a complex, fast moving, global food new products coming to the market. ecosystem. • Food hypersensitivity – we improve the • Protecting the public from foodborne quality of life for people living with food disease – we work with farmers, food hypersensitivities and support them producers and processors, consumers, to make safe and informed choices to and the retail and hospitality industries to effectively manage risk. reduce the risk of foodborne disease (food • Food crime – our National Food Crime Unit poisoning), which has a societal burden of is a dedicated law enforcement function approximately £9.1bn per annum. which provides leadership on food crime. • Controls on abattoirs and primary • Food and feed incident handling and production – we implement checks response – we respond to food incidents, at abattoirs, and we audit and inspect taking action to protect consumers when meat cutting plants, game handling there is a concern around the safety or establishments, wine producers and quality of food (and/or feed). on-farm dairy establishments. We also monitor and report on classified shellfish production areas for contamination and marine biotoxins.

Food business In 2019/20, 97.9% of meat food business operators rated ‘satisfactory’ or above for compliance compliance with food safety, hygiene and animal welfare regulations.

Incidents In 2019/20, FSA investigated 2,479 food, animal feed and environmental contamination incidents, protecting consumers by removing products from market or notifying them of risks.

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Our risk analysis process

Our risk analysis process uses science and • During the coronavirus crisis, we carried evidence to provide advice to government, out detailed risk assessments on the business and consumers on food safety risks. transmissibility of COVID-19 through food and provided advice to help business and It is the process of estimating risks to human consumers to do the right thing. health, finding ways to control these risks, and communicating both risks and controls • When meat in prepacked sandwiches to the people who need to know. was linked to listeria infections in hospital patients in 2019, we used risk analysis to As well as food safety, it can also consider make risk management recommendations other factors such as animal welfare, to the NHS Hospital Food Review panel environment and economic impact. to reduce the risk of vulnerable groups contracting listeriosis in the future. Issues range from control of pathogens (e.g. COVID-19, listeria) and allergens, to • In 2015, we carried out risk analysis on authorisation of chemical washes, GM runny eggs and updated our advice to state processes and much more. that vulnerable groups could now safely eat raw or lightly cooked UK hen eggs if they We use the same risk analysis process to bear the British Lion mark. advise government ministers on authorising new products coming to market – like Our risk analysis process is world-leading in additives and flavourings – from the UK or food safety regulation and puts transparency, further afield. public understanding and trust at its heart.

The advice that comes out of risk analysis is based on science and evidence, not on wider political or public pressures.

Risk analysis is based on science and evidence

COVID-19 Listeria Runny eggs

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Partnerships

We strive to build strategic, collaborative enabling consumer choice and improving partnerships in the UK and abroad. hygiene standards in food.

Scientific partnerships across government Strong partnership working also helps us and with academia are critical to meeting to understand and reach the consumers our science and evidence needs. For we seek to protect. For example, example, our risk analysis process, which partnering with Just Eat has helped us analyses food safety risks, draws on the to increase transparency of information independent views of over 100 scientific on hygiene in food businesses, enabling experts, analysts and other practitioners. consumers to consider food safety when ordering food online. Collaborating Our Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is with charities like Allergy UK and the delivered in partnership with 373 local Anaphylaxis Campaign helps us to better authorities in England, Wales and Northern understand and support people living Ireland. They carry out hygiene inspections with food hypersensitivities. in around 490,000 businesses –

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Working at the FSA

We offer fully flexible working arrangements In 2017 we brought in a programme to set and a commitment to work-life balance the gold standard for flexible working: because we believe this enables our people to work most effectively. • We relocated our office in London, renovated our workspace in York Flexible ways of working (including the and Cardiff, and opened a new site option to be fully home-based) and digital in Birmingham. tools that facilitate remote working mean • We brought in new contracts for staff we enjoy high levels of staff engagement (office-based, home-enabled or multi- and help us attract and retain the location) and transformed our IT to best talent. enable remote working. • We gave staff the opportunity to have In 2019 we won an ‘Innovation in Flexible a better work-life balance by giving Working’ Award at the workingmums.co.uk them choice about what part of the Top Employer Awards – recognition of the day/evening or weekend they prefer fact that our flexible policies and practices to work. are truly innovative and break new ground.

As a result of these changes:

75% of staff said they are more likely to stay working at the FSA £2.2m 69% 80% saved by of staff said of staff said changing they are more they are more office space satisfied productive

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The FSA: Protecting your plate since 2000

Creation of the FSA and commitment to openness 2000 and transparency The FSA was created as an At launch, the FSA made a independent government commitment to operate openly department working across and transparently, with Board England, Wales, Northern meetings held in public and a Ireland and Scotland to Code of Practice on Openness, protect public health and which is still with us today. This consumers’ wider interests committed the FSA to publish in relation to food. It was all the advice it gives to other established after several parts of government – ground- high-profile outbreaks and breaking for its time, and still deaths from foodborne illness. so now.

Launching ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ 2005 to make food hygiene easier for small businesses

In 2005 we launched ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ page Food, Better Business’ to help of the FSA website and more small and micro businesses than 700,000 downloads of the to adopt good food safety guidance. procedures. Designed to meet the needs of different types of In Northern Ireland, catering businesses – including small businesses use the Safe catering companies, small Catering guide to help them retail companies, restaurants comply with food legislation. and takeaways – this guidance This food safety management continues to be a core part tool offers practical and of our offering and most comprehensive advice to restaurant kitchens now have caterers to help them produce a printed copy. In 2019 alone a food safety management there were almost 800,000 plan based on the principles of unique page views to the ‘Safer HACCP.

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The FSA: Protecting your plate since 2000

Initiating front of pack nutritional labelling

2007 The FSA led on the early look for and demand healthier development of voluntary food and give an incentive front of pack nutritional to businesses to produce labelling on prepacked foods. that food. The label shows, at a glance, whether food is high (red), We continue to influence medium (amber) or low (green) the scheme and a recent in fat, saturated fat, sugars consumer campaign in and salt, as well as the total Northern Ireland entitled energy (calories and kilojoules) ‘Check the Label’ encouraged provided. consumers to use front of pack labelling by highlighting the The labelling, now in nutritional value of commonly widespread use, was designed purchased foods. to encourage consumers to

Improving hygiene standards in food businesses

2010 In 2010, we launched the October 2016 in Northern voluntary Food Hygiene Ireland, making it mandatory Rating Scheme to provide for businesses to display the public with information their ratings. about the hygiene standards in food businesses. Hygiene standards have improved - businesses We operate the scheme achieving the top rating of 5 in partnership with local went up from 53% in 2013 to authorities. They give 72% in 2019. Research shows businesses a hygiene rating, that businesses with higher from 0 at the bottom to 5 at ratings are less likely to be the top. The scheme became responsible for outbreaks of statutory in Wales from foodborne illness. November 2013 and in

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The FSA: Protecting your plate since 2000

Reducing Campylobacter poisoning

In 2014, campylobacter was Campylobacter Together the most common cause of (ACT). This included working 2014 bacterial food poisoning in with farmers, slaughterhouses, the UK, affecting more than and retailers to reduce the a quarter of a million people presence of campylobacter each year. and possibility of cross- contamination and educating To tackle this, the FSA consumers and caterers on launched Acting on good hygiene practices.

Piloting use of blockchain technology 2018 as a regulatory tool to drive and verify compliance in the food chain

In 2018, we successfully permission (from farmers to completed a pilot using slaughterhouses), rather than blockchain technology in a having a single central system cattle slaughterhouse. It was controlled by one organisation. the first time blockchain had been used as a regulatory tool Blockchain could increase to drive and verify compliance the transparency of the supply in the food chain. chain, as information about a particular animal can easily be Blockchain takes records from shared across the chain. each stage along the supply chain – from the arrival of the It is tamperproof, as it involves animal at the slaughterhouse, to multiple copies of data. It the packaged meat – and puts improves traceability, as the them in a block. identification of a product’s journey helps assure quality. Each block is ‘chained’ to the It is timesaving, as blockchain next block, using an encrypted improves operations by signature. reducing unnecessary activities, such as data duplication. This allows it to be shared and checked by anyone with

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The FSA: Protecting your plate since 2000

Improving the quality of life for people living with 2019 food hypersensitivities In 2019, the government The government agreed carried out an Allergen with this recommendation. Labelling Review following the A new legal requirement death of teenager Natasha was introduced effective Ednan-Laperouse. Natasha from October 2021 requiring died from an allergic reaction businesses to provide a full to sesame in a baguette, ingredient list on PPDS food which was not labelled with with the allergens emphasised, allergen information. giving people with food hypersensitivities the ability The FSA Board recommended to make safe choices when full ingredient and allergen buying food. labelling on food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) – food packed on the premises before a customer orders it, like some salads or sandwiches.

Contents Our presence

We operate in England, Wales and © Crown copyright 2020 Northern Ireland. Food Standards Scotland This publication is licensed under the terms is the non-ministerial government of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except department of the Scottish Government where otherwise stated. To view this licence, responsible for food safety, food standards, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- nutrition, food labelling, feed official government-licence/version/3. controls and meat inspection in Scotland. Where we have identified any third party London copyright information you will need to obtain Floors 6 and 7, Clive House permission from the copyright holders 70 Petty France concerned. London SW1H 9EX Any enquiries regarding this publication York should be sent to us at [email protected] Foss House Kings Pool 1-2 Peasholme Green York YO1 7PR

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