Catherine Brown's presentation, Annual Meeting 2015

Food we can trust

October 2015Catherine Brown

© 2015 Food Standards Agency

What I will cover

• What is the FSA?

• Pressures on the food system

• Roles and responsibilities – who can do what to help?

• The role of transparency and food champions

• Q&A


What is the FSA?

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The main objective of the Agency in carrying out its functions is to protect

public health from risks which may arise in connection with the consumption of food

(including risks caused by the way in which it is produced or supplied) and otherwise to

protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.

(Section 1: Food Standards Act 1999)


Consumers interests…

• Food is safe and• what it says it is.

• Consumers have access to an affordable healthy diet, now and in the future and

• can make informed choices about what to eat.

© 2015 Food Standards AgencySource - Projected changes in agricultural productivity, Cline, W. R. 2007. Global Warming and Agriculture: Impact Estimates by Country. Washington D.C., USA: Peterson Institute

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Increasing global population also puts pressure on both food production and land

• To meet the expected demand for food, it has been estimated that we need to produce 70–100 % more food1

[1] Pretty et al, 2010, ‘The top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture’, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY


Pressures on the global food system…

Many factors are likely to have an impact;

• Climate change

• Growing global population

• Changing world economics

• Changing nature of UK population

• Resources

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Supply shortages

Growing food

poverty

Increased/different risks to food supply

© 2015 Food Standards Agency9

Size and resources


Who can/should do what?

It is the responsibility of people producing and supplying food to

ensure it is safe and what it says it is.

The Food Standards Agency has a key leadership role in making sure

they step up to that responsibility.

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Impacts – awareness of Campylobacter*

[June 2014] [May 2015]

19%

35%

Source: Campaigns tracker: General perceptions and awareness about food safetyMethodology : face-to-face omnibus (June 2014), online omnibus (May 2015)c.2000 people each wave. *Question Example: Please look at the types of food poisoning below; which are you aware of?


What is the role of the consumer?

“Consumers have responsibilities as well as rights and we want to create an

environment in which consumers are encouraged to be active players in

creating the best food future possible. We want consumers to be and feel

powerful – able to contribute effectively to shaping a food system that

protects their interests and respects their rights”

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Size and resources


Empowered consumers…

• Stop• Think • Choose

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Flight MH370 online “search party” – 1st week : 2.3m participants, 650,000

mapped objects.

“crowdsource enforcement”?


BFC & food champions

The Food Hygiene Rating System

A tool for transparency that has supported improved compliance

But consumer activism/food champions can take it to the next level

As you are doing…

What’s the impact?

Proportion of businesses with food hygiene ratings of 3 or above (FSA tracking data)


Thank you – Q&A/Discussion!