‘Improved intelligence’ needed across food industry

Professor Pat Troop

Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) needs to strengthen its major incident plan, an independent investigation into its functioning next the horse-meat contamination scandal has found.

Professor Pat Troop has completed her independent review of the agency’s response, which was published on Friday.

Troop’s recommendations include:

• The involve for improved tidings across the nutrient industry.
• The involve for the FSA to strengthen its major incident plan.
• Improved clarity of the purpose of Government departments inward large, complex incidents.
• The involve for a review of the FSA’s powers as well as the usage of framework agreements as well as codes of conduct.

A amount written response to Troop’s finally written report volition move published yesteryear the FSA adjacent week, before a give-and-take of the written report yesteryear the FSA Board at its July sixteen meeting.

At the FSA’s opened upwardly board coming together on June 4, Troop presented her telephone substitution findings.

Overall, she commended the agency’s treatment of the matter, noting that the incident was odd inward both its scale as well as profile.

Troop spoke to FSA staff, Government departments as well as ministers, members of the nutrient manufacture local authorities, as well as other interested parties.

FSA master copy executive Catherine Brown said: “It is strike that at that topographic point was a large aeroplane of understanding amid other Government departments, as well as amid senior staff here, that the purpose of the FSA was to Pb the investigation of this national nutrient incident, regardless of the extent to which at that topographic point was whatever nutrient security risk.

“We produce involve to formalise that understanding, as well as embed it inward both our ain organisation as well as across Government, thence that nosotros are all develop to answer should at that topographic point move a like incident inward the future.”

Since March, the FSA has been working to found a amend articulation infrastructure for sharing, using as well as analysing intelligence. It has begun laissez passer on off an improved as well as extended Major Incident Plan.

Proposals for a comprehensive activity excogitation volition instruct to the board on July 16.

The horse-meat contamination was start detected inward Republic of Ireland before this year, later on testing revealed horse-meat inward processed beef products.

The scandal chop-chop spread across Europe, resulting inward the retrieve of tens of millions of ready-made products labelled every bit beef.

The incident revealed the complexities of the nutrient chain as well as its vulnerability to rogue traders.

 

Professor Pat Troop’s written report tin give the sack move read here.

 

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