Food Standards Agency
Sunday 21 March 2010
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The FSA provides advice and information to the public and Government on food safety from farm to fork, nutrition and diet. It also protects consumers through effective food enforcement and monitoring.
What we do:
As a Government department, independent regulator and consumer protection body, we use the best available evidence and work with:
Our values:
Everything we do reflects our vision of Safe food and healthy eating for all:
Our principles in practice:
As an organisation, employer and as individuals we value:
Although the FSA is a Government agency, it works at 'arm's length' from Government because it doesn't report to a specific minister and is free to publish any advice it issues.
Back to topThe Agency is led by a Board that has been appointed to act in the public interest and not to represent particular sectors. Board members have a wide range of relevant skills and experience.
Our UK headquarters are in London, but the Agency also has national offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Meat Hygiene Service is an executive agency of the Food Standards Agency.
Back to topWe're accountable to Parliament through Health Ministers, and to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for its activities within their areas.
Back to topWe base our decisions and advice on the best evidence available. And we aim to ensure that our decision-making process is as open and transparent in as possible.
Whenever possible, we seek the views of interested parties before reaching conclusions, and always explain the reasons for its decision and advice in a straightforward manner.
The Agency also obtains independent expert advice from its scientific advisory committees and commissions research to support its functions.
Back to topThe five outcomes the Agency aims to deliver are:
The full strategy can be found at the link below.
Back to topDownload pdf
(pdf 256KB) Strategy for 2010–2015 (Cymraeg/Welsh) Read the Welsh language version of the strategy Revised with new FSA logo Feb 2010Download pdf
(pdf 323KB)The background and key steps to the formation of the Food Standards Agency.
Openness is one of the core values of the Food Standards Agency.
Consumers should expect to be eating safer food and be choosing healthier and more balanced meals by 2015, as a result of the Food Standards Agency’s Strategy for 2010–2015.
A great deal of our work depends on understanding and dealing with risk. In this statement we describe how the Agency proposes to approach risk issues, so that everybody who may be affected by our decisions can understand our way of working.
This page links to the final text of the Statement of General Objectives and Practices. The statement laid before Parliament and the devolved assemblies and approved by health ministers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
This section contains information about the Food Standards Agency Chief Executive and Directors. The FSA organisational chart is being revised and a new one will be published shortly.
We have revised and updated the Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan for the FSA. This is available below in English and Welsh, along with a copy of our previous Scheme.
The Food Standards Agency buys in goods, services and works using a competitive process wherever possible, in line with public sector and European Union (EU) policy requirements. Its aim is to achieve value for money, which is viewed as the 'most economically advantageous tender', to meet the needs of the user.
The Agency's remit is to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food, now and in the future. In doing so the Agency will take sustainable development into account in all of its activities and policy decisions.
The aim of the Forums is to enable the main consumer organisations, pressure groups, industry and enforcement authorities to raise matters of broad concern with the Agency on an informal basis. They will be held twice a year.
Concordats are agreed frameworks for co-operation between the Food Standards Agency and other Government departments and public bodies.
This Scheme, prepared in accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993, provides the Food Standards Agency with a further platform on which to continue building its commitment to putting the consumer first.
The Food Standards Agency has a statutory objective to protect public health and consumers' other interests in relation to food and drink. However, we are aware that excessive or unclear regulations can place a burden on business, the public and third sectors and so hinder effective delivery of the intended benefits.
The ACCE will meet three times a year and report annually to the FSA Board. As well as reporting on the effectiveness of the FSA’s consumer engagement, it will make recommendations for the strengthening of its engagement processes.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently solely responsible for seven public bodies, all of them advisory committees. In addition the FSA also share three public bodies with the Department of Health, and one with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Annual Appointments Report includes our public appointments objectives for 2009/10.
The FSA has published an improved Disability Equality Scheme. This explains how we are going to build on our work to promote equality for disabled people up to the end of 2009.
This section explains financial management within the FSA.
The Gender Equality Duty came into force on 6 April 2007. It requires public authorities to promote gender equality and eliminate sex discrimination.
With the diverse range of foods from around the globe available to people in the UK and with free trade and markets within the European Union, the Food Standards Agency aims to ensure that imported foods meet the required UK standards, in order to protect the safety and interests of the consumer.
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