Dr. George PatersonDirector

Food Standards Agency, Scotland

Arab Quality and Food Safety Conference

Beirut 15 June 2006

Food Safety, Risk and Regulation: the UK experience

1988 Salmonella in eggs1988 Salmonella in eggs

1989 Listeria in soft cheese and pate1989 Listeria in soft cheese and pate

1990 BSE – mounting concern1990 BSE – mounting concern

1990 Benzene in Perrier1990 Benzene in Perrier

1990 Plasticisers in cling film1990 Plasticisers in cling film

1993 Patulin in apple juice1993 Patulin in apple juice

1996 E coli O157 outbreak1996 E coli O157 outbreak

1996 BSE linked to vCJD1996 BSE linked to vCJD

Food incidents in the UK - 1980s &1990s

Food Standards Agency core valuesFood Standards Agency core values

• to put consumers firstto put consumers first

• to be open and accessibleto be open and accessible

• to be an independent voiceto be an independent voice

“Government, and not its advisory committees, is responsiblefor taking decisions on the management of risk, and needs to take an abiding interest in matters of risk, although committees may be best placed to advise on management options”

Review of risk procedures by the Government’s advisory

committees dealing with food safety

Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Advisor, July 2000

“...review the current main measures to protect the public against BSE/vCJD in relation to the food chain. The review will consider both the adequacy of the measures to protect public health and their proportionality to the assessed risk…..”

Strategy for agriculture: An action plan for farming Dept Environment Food and Rural Affairs

30 March 2000

“The Food Standards Agency will...

30

40

50

60

70

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Year

%

UK public concern about BSE 2000 -2005

Source: FSA annual consumer attitudes surveys

Working with Working with othersothers

Media

NGOs

Regional government

Other gov depts Schools

Food industry

Europe

Other food

agencies

Safer food better business helps small food businesses apply HACCP principles

Food safety management

Foodborne Illness

• Around 850,000 cases per yearAround 850,000 cases per year

• Estimated to cost UK plc £1.5bn paEstimated to cost UK plc £1.5bn pa

• 5 main causative organisms;5 main causative organisms;

Campylobacter Campylobacter

Salmonella Salmonella

ListeriaListeria

Clostridium Perf. Clostridium Perf.

E.coli O157E.coli O157

Is our approach working?

80% Recognition

65% Confident in ability to protect health

58% Consider FSA trustworthyConsumer Attitudes to Food Standards 2005

UK has highest consumer trust in food safety of six EU countries studied Trust in Food in Europe, NICR, Oslo 2003

•Put consumers first

•Base decisions on a robust assessment of the evidence

•Take full account of the views of all interested parties

•Communicate clearly what we know and what we don’t know and this is what we are doing about it

•Work in partnership with others

•Remain open, transparent and independent at all times

A harmonised approach to food safety