Food agency forms taskforce to tackle risk and recalls
food agency will build a taskforce to reduce the risk of
contamination to supplies, and to improve risk management in the
advent of recalls.
The Food Standards Agency said the new taskforce, which could include the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium, and consumer group Which?, will aim to slash high and medium risk incidents by 25 per cent.
The FSA move comes in the wake of the UK's largest food recall in history, sparked off in February when the potentially carcinogenic red colour Sudan 1 was detected in chilli powder used in a batch of Worcester sauce supplied by St.Albans-based firm Premier Foods.
Supplying both retail and industrial ingredient markets, Premier Foods identified 340 customers from their database who may have been supplied with the contaminated Worcester sauce. Over 600 processed food products were removed from the shelves.
Compounding concern, earlier this month the illegal colour Para Red was identified for the first time ever in the UK: to date over 65 products have been recalled due to contamination by this illegal colour.
"In the light of recent Sudan I and Para Red food withdrawals we need to find practical ways of reducing the number of incidents of food contamination. When they do occur, we need quick, effective and appropriate action from all those involved," said acting chair of the FSA Julia Unwin.
According to the FSA, key actions for the new task force include: finding practical ways of reducing the likelihood of food contamination incidents occurring, and to identify ways of deciding "on the proportionality of any response".
In addition, the group will apparently seek to "ensure the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in risk management of food contamination incidents are clearly agreed, so that action is taken quickly, effectively and proportionately if incidents do occur."
Which darkly implies, by default, that this may not have been the case before.
In addition, the group will "identify ways that the agency might champion the uptake of the measures identified."
The first meeting is due to take place in June, to be chaired by the agency's Chief Executive, Dr Jon Bell and to report back in autumn this year.
While the stakeholders in the group have yet to be finalised, organisations invited to participate include the British Hospitality Association, the National Consumer Council, the Local Authorities' Co-ordinators Of Regulatory Services, and the National Farmers Union.
At a European level the Commission has come down hard on the UK food industry, warning businesses of their duty to provide safe food supplies, and criticising firms for a lack of testing on stocks.
The Sudan 1 at the heart of the February recalls is believed to have originated in a batch of chilli powder from India, then used in the Worcester sauce supplied by Premier Foods.
The FSA said yesterday that a group of countries, co-ordinated by the UK, is looking at introducing uniform testing methodology to ensure consistent testing across Europe. In the meantime the agency has advised food businesses on an interim standardised approach.
