The Government has announced its intention to retain the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with a renewed focus on food safety.
The FSA will focus on its core remit of food safety policy and enforcement. The Department of Health will become responsible for nutrition policy in England, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will become responsible for Country of Origin Labelling, and various other non-safety-related food labelling and food composition policies. Ministers and officials at the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working closely with the FSA to implement the following changes:

Food Standards Agency
Retains a clearly defined departmental function focused on its core remit of food safety. This means that, on crucial issues of food safety, the independent advice from FSA experts would be final.
Retains current responsibility for nutrition and labelling policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Approximately 2,000 staff will remain at the FSA.

Department of Health
Nutrition policy will be transferred to the Department of Health. This includes front of pack nutrition labelling, such as Guideline Daily Amounts.
The transfer of nutrition policy into the Department of Health directly contributes to the Government’s plans for public health. In the long-term, bringing policies ‘in house’ will enable better services to be created and clearer information to be given to the public.
The Department of Health will, as a result, be able to press industry to contribute more on improving the health of the nation. This includes reformulation, and provision of nutrition information in supermarkets and restaurants.
Approximately 70 policy posts will move to the Department from the FSA.

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Country of Origin Labelling will transfer to Defra. This will support delivery of the Government’s commitment to deliver honesty in food labelling and ensure that consumers can be confident about where their food comes from.
It will also support delivery of one of Defra’s top priorities: Ministers’ firm commitment to support and develop British farming and encourage sustainable food production, and promote increased domestic food production.
Other policy areas that will transfer to Defra include composition policy which is about agreeing the components and standards for characterising products such as honey, jam, chocolate, ice-cream or meat content of sausages).
Approximately 25 policy posts will move to Defra from the FSA.

The FSA will remain a non-ministerial department reporting to Parliament through DH ministers. Lord Rooker, Chair of the FSA, said: ‘Food safety and hygiene have always been at the heart of what the Agency does. They are our top priorities in protecting the interests of consumers.’

More information can be found on these links:

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/dhpressfsasafety.pdf

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/writtenministerialstatement.pdf

Due to a packaging error, some Walkers Ready Salted Crisps and Walkers Salt & Vinegar Crisps may have been packed with other Walkers seasonings that are unsuitable for those on a lactose, milk, soya, and barley free diet. Walkers Ready Salted Crisps and Walkers Salt & Vinegar Crisps contained within in the following multipacks are possibly affected:
Variety 18 pack
25-09-10 GBS 5 1 190
25-09-10 GBS 5 2 190
25-09-10 GBS 5 1 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 2 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 1 192
25-09-10 GBS 5 2 192
02-10-10 GBS 5 1 192
02-10-10 GBS 5 2 192
Variety 6 pack
25-09-10 GBS 5 F1 190
25-09-10 GBS 5 F2 190
25-09-10 GBS 5 F3 190
25-09-10 GBS 5 F1 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 F2 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 F3 191
Ready Salted 6 pack
25-09-10 GBS 5 F2 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 F4 191
25-09-10 GBS 5 F2 192
25-09-10 GBS 5 F4 192
02-10-10 GBS 5 F2 192
02-10-10 GBS 5 F4 192
The company has recalled the affected products and has contacted the relevant allergy support organisations, which will inform their at-risk members of the recall. Notices are being displayed in all stores to alert consumers to the reasons for the recall and the actions they can take if they have purchased the affected products. No other Walkers products are known to be affected.

Diamond USA Inc. is recalling its 1 lb packages with code#01-12-2010 of “Dry Apricot Rolled” because they contain undeclared sulphites. The recalled Dry Apricot Rolled was distributed in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and California to retail stores. The product comes in a 1 lb sealed package with code #01-12-2010. It is a product of Afghanistan. The recall was initiated after routine sampling by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of sulphites. The consumption of 10 milligrams of sulphites per serving has been reported to elicit severe reactions in some asthmatics. Anaphylactic shock could occur in certain sulphite sensitive individuals upon ingesting 10 milligrams or more of sulphites. Analysis of the “Dry Apricot Rolled” revealed it contained 53.24 milligrams per serving. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

Fresh Express of Salinas, California is recalling certain Romaine lettuce salad products with expired Use-by Dates of July 8 – 12 and an “S” in the Product Code because they may have the potential to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution due to an isolated instance in which one package of Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine salad yielded a positive result for E. coli O157:H7 in a random sample test collected and conducted by a third-party laboratory for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The affected salads are Fresh Express Romaine salads with Use-by Dates of July 8 – 12 and an “S” in the Product Code. Retailers and Consumers who have any remaining expired product should not consume it, but rather discard it. Retailers and Consumers with questions may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, Monday – Friday, 5 a.m. – 8 p.m., Pacific Time.

The Food Standards Agency in Wales has published a summary report of a focused audit programme that was undertaken between September 2009 to March 2010. The audits examined the food law enforcement services of 10 Welsh local authorities, and were carried out as part of the Agency’s work to maintain and improve consumer protection and confidence.The report, which lists keys findings and recommendations, can be viewed via the link below.
Steve Wearne, Director of FSA in Wales, said:”The Food Standards Agency has a key role in overseeing local authority enforcement activity. Food businesses have a duty to make sure the food they sell is safe and local food law enforcers are the first line of defence in making sure the public is protected. It is our job in the Agency, in partnership with local authorities, to set a standard for this vital public protection work and this audit programme has told us if it’s being met.’ He concluded: ‘The programme has helped us to better understand how local authorities operate across Wales, and has enabled us to highlight and share best practice with other authorities. The summary report will allow the Agency to identify and address areas of concern, and give us information on whether appropriate resources are being directed at this important function.’