Analysing regulatory failure in the food chain

Dr Jon BellJon Bell Associates Ltd

Mad cow disease

Is

Relationship between BSE and vCJD

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

Co

nfi

rmed

BS

E C

ases

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Co

nfi

rmed

vC

JD

Death

s

Source: Food Standards Agency 2005

Newspaper headlines on BSE in 2000

Farm animals face new BSE

checks

The BSE

fiasco

Ban all animal cannibalism says food safety chief

Apathy of Ministers is the real BSE tragedy

Newspaper headlines in 2005

Sudan I

Chilli powder

Worcester sauce

600 processed

foods

Sudan 1

Sudan I newspaper headlines

Cancer–causing dye is discovered in 350 foods

TOP FOODS CANCER

PERIL IN 359

Supermarket alert on cancer food dye

Food industry admits that tests for cancer dye are not carried out

Sudan I: level of interest

• 1,200 phone calls

• 1,000 emails/letters

• 1,395 items of media coverage (during incident period)

• 15 million hits on FSA website

Source: Food Standards Agency 2005

Horse meat

Conclusions

• Overall, food is as safe now as it has ever been but regulatory failure will always be with us

• Food is a global business and regulation does not always take full account of this

• Need to strike the right balance between regulation/enforcement and market forces

• Inadequate enforcement is often the principal reason for regulatory failure