Food Standards Agency
Sunday 21 March 2010
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Listen to this siteThe Food Standards Agency is responsible for the public-health aspects of food imported into the UK. This means making sure that imported food is safe for people to eat.
Issues, such as the effect imports can have on the health of animals and plants, are dealt with by other government departments.
The Agency has particular responsibility for imports of fresh, dried, cooked, cured and smoked fish, and fishery products such as canned tuna, fish sauces, and prawns. It works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), agriculture departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Revenue and Customs.
Back to topThe Agency's Imported Food Division was set up in April 2003 to help improve the effectiveness of how imported-food controls are enforced.
It is working with Agency colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to develop the effectiveness of controls on imported food across the UK. The Division's work involves:
The Food Standards Agency is taking forward two major projects to improve the effectiveness of how imported-food controls are enforced. These are the:
The Agency's 10-point action programme, established in 2001, sets out ten recommendations for changes and improvements to how the UK deals with checks on imports.
The aim of the 10-point plan is to improve the co-ordination of enforcement action on imports, and the effectiveness of import controls. The ten recommendations are:
Many of the recommendations have been addressed, and work is progressing in the remaining areas.
Back to topThe cross-government action plan on illegal imports of meat, other animal products, plants and plant products is led by DEFRA. It aims to co-ordinate action across central and local government to ensure that rules governing imports of products of animal origin are enforced effectively, particularly regarding illegal imports of meat. This complements the Agency's 10-point plan to reduce public-health risks from imported food.
Back to topThe Step Change is a cross-government initiative, led by the Food Standards Agency. It aims to improve the co-ordination and delivery of local-authority inspection of foods and products of animal origin at seaports and airports.
The Step Change was set up following a Cabinet Office study on the organisation of the Government's controls of imports of animals, fish, plants and their products. A report of the study can be found below. Ministers agreed at a meeting in May 2004 that a Step Change improvement in imported food control enforcement had been achieved. The FSA's Chairman and the DEFRA Minister Lord Whitty wrote to Local and Port Health Authorities in June 2004 to commend them for their efforts in achieving this enhanced performance.
Achievements of the Step Change during 2003/04 included:
The Agency has published an end of year report on the Step Change. The report entitled 'Achieving a Step Change: summary of work carried out 2003/04' can be found below. It summarises the action taken by the Agency, other Government Departments and local authorities to deliver a Step Change improvement in co-ordination and delivery of local authority inspections on imported foodstuffs and animal products during 2003/04.
Back to topThere is evidence from the recent survey of local authorities that the Step Change funding of training, sampling and better central co-ordination has enhanced local authority capacity in this area, and will result in sustained improvements in imported food controls.
Back to topDownload pdf
(pdf 73KB) Building on the Step Change Improvement in Enforcement of Imported Food Controls in UK Summary of local authority work carried out 2004/05Download pdf
(pdf 41KB)The Imported Food Working Group (IFWG) is a forum for enforcement experts to meet and discuss issues around the enforcement of imported food law.
The Step Change is a cross-government initiative, led by the FSA. It aims to improve the co-ordination and delivery of local authority inspection of foods and products of animal origin at seaports and airports. Ministers agreed a number of success criteria, against which the delivery of the project would be assessed after its first year (to end March 2004).
The Food Standards Agency has held a seminar on imported food.
The controls of imported food and Step Change have been discussed at a number of FSA Board Meetings. Here are the relevant papers and minutes for each of these meetings.
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