Catherine Brown Chief Exec FSA at Birmingham Food Council's Annual Meeting

Food we can trust

October 2015Catherine Brown

What I will cover today

• What is the role of 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 role of the FSA?

“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)

Consumer interest in relation to food

• Food is safe, and

• what is 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 Agency

• By changing overall growing conditions

• By introducing more extreme weather conditions

• By increasing extent, type and frequency of infestations

Climate change will put pressure on agricultural productivity

© 2015 Food Standards Agency 6

Increasing global population 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


Pressures on the global food system…

7

• Climate change

• Growing global population

• Changing world economics

• Changing nature of UK

population

• Resources


• Growing food poverty• Increased/different

risks to food supply• Supply shortages


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.


Open about Campylobacter


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”

© 2015 Food Standards Agency13

Size and resources

FSA and LAs FSA and LAsFood sector Food sector

Expenditure makes up 0.8% of food sector turnover

Staff make up 0.12% of people working in the food sector


• Stop• Think • Choose

Empowered consumers


Crowdsource enforcement?

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


Birmingham Food Council & FHRS

The Food Hygiene Rating

System

A tool for transparency that

has supported improved

compliance

But food champions can

take it to the next level


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

What’s the impact?


Thank youQ&A/Discussion

Catherine Brown Chief Exec FSA at Birmingham Food Council's Annual Meeting

Food

Transcript of Catherine Brown Chief Exec FSA at Birmingham Food Council's Annual Meeting