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The review into the Sudan I incident undertaken by an independent review panel and chaired by Professor Douglas Georgala CBE is published today. The Agency's response to the review, and its recommendations, will now be discussed at the FSA's Open Board Meeting in London next Thursday. The incident in February 2005 resulted in the UK's largest food recall.
The Agency’s Board agreed at the time that an independent review would be undertaken once any legal action by local authorities had been concluded. A panel was convened in February this year to identify lessons learnt by all sectors involved, including manufacturers, retailers, enforcement authorities and the Agency.
The review highlights a number of recommendations directed towards all sectors, covering four main areas: incident prevention, incident handling, communications and relationships. The independent review has provided a valuable external perspective on how procedures could be improved.
A number of actions have already been taken by the Agency since the incident, including the setting up of a Food Incidents Task Force, which published guidance on prevention and handling in March this year. A national food fraud database has also been developed, providing local authorities with an effective resource to assist with their investigations.
The Agency has also strengthened its early warning systems through closer working with the European and World Health Organization incident networks. In addition, the Agency is committed to a programme of exercises involving all sectors to ensure as full preparation as possible for future incidents.
The FSA Board will now consider the Agency’s response when it meets next week. In addition, the Agency will be meeting with representatives of the food industry and enforcement authorities over the next two weeks to establish how they intend to take forward recommendations directed towards them. A report describing what action they intend to take will be provided for the Board in December.
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