The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is developing new domestic and international approaches to ensure the safety of UK food in the aftermath of the 2013 “horsegate scandal”.
The Agency’s action to date on the issue, and plans for the future, will be the focus of a separate agenda item during this week’s FSA board meeting in London, when members will also be asked to approve the Agency’s strategy outline for 2015-20.
“The FSA continues work to implement the recommendations of the formal reviews of the horsemeat incident that have been commissioned by Government,” it’s revealed in a pre-meeting paper produced for discussion by the board on Wednesday, November 5.
“We are developing approaches that go beyond the scope of those reviews, including leading and influencing international developments to safeguard the UK food supply.”
The same document also reveals that the FSA is working with the European Commission and Member States “with a view to introducing into EU requirements for imported food, anti-fraud measures such as IT systems for the notification of exports, the development of electronic certification and, ultimately, digitally signed health certificates”.
The issue has been given a 40-minute discussion slot in Wednesday’s agenda, a session which will available live online via the FSA website.
The outline comment regarding a planned 60-minute session to agree the Agency’s 2015-20 strategy, includes the indication that stakeholders will be more involved in strategy matters from 2015.
“As part of this work,” it’s stated, “we have sought to articulate the breadth of consumer interests in relation to food, and we believe that food being safe, and what it says it is, remains a key part of our mission.”