Food Standards Agency

  • Bigger fines for food fraud

    THE EUROPEAN Commission wants to impose “truly dissuasive” fines in a bid to combat food fraud.   The proposal is part of a package of food safety measures published this week.   Health commissioner Tonio Borg said the package would… Read More

  • Food fight: Is there enough GM-free soya for Britain’s poultry farmers

    THE AVAILABILITY of GM-free feed for poultry has been shrouded in mystery and contradictory information. Recently, four supermarkets ditched policies that had been in place for over a decade requiring suppliers to feed poultry 100% GM-free soya. Will foodservice companies now… Read More

  • Reviews of horse meat scandal announced

    THE WAY in which the Food Standards Agency (FSA) responded to the horse meat scandal will be assessed as part of an independent review.                           Whilst the agency’s… Read More

  • Whitbread burger given the OK

    A WHITBREAD BURGER that tested positive for horse DNA above the 1% threshold has now been shown to contain less than 1% horse meat.   On March 26th, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advised that a Whitbread burger had tested… Read More

  • Too chicken to talk GM?

    RISING PRICES could soon force the poultry industry to reverse its ban on genetically modified feed – but that means a difficult conversation with consumers.   In 2012 the area of land used to grow genetically modified (GM) crops increased… Read More

  • Footprint Forum Report: Holding out for a hero

    IN EUROPE, genetically modified crops have remained in labs while the rest of the world plants more and more. Does the technology need a champion?  It seemed apt that the Footprint Forum to discuss the sensitive issue of genetically modified (GM) crops took… Read More

  • The political print: The blame game

    NO SOONER had the horse meat scandal erupted than the blame game began. ’Twas ever thus. Every scandal needs a villain and there’s no more convenient villain than one that is unidentifiable.                … Read More

  • Horse meat found in Edinburgh schools

    A BATCH OF frozen mince containing between 1% and 5% horse meat was supplied to a primary school in Edinburgh prior to the product being recalled by distributor 3663.   Eighty-five meat product samples have been taken from the City… Read More

  • Footprint Forum: GM – Contemptible or Inevitable

    On the 28th of February, members and guests of Footprint Forum gathered at the U.S. Embassy in London to debate GM – Contemptible or Inevitable. The objective of this session was to remove polarised subjectivity from the debate and frame… Read More

  • Butcher takes responsibility for halal chicken contamination

    THE BUTCHER who supplied catering firm Chartwells with halel-labelled chicken sausages contaminated with pork has “taken full responsibility” for the supply chain breach.   Westminster City Council (WCC) found traces of pork DNA in the sausages as part of its… Read More