The Food Standards Agency (FSA) are still not listening to your opinions.

In late June I was contacted by an FSA official about their “Consultation on Early Proposals for a Future Delivery Model for FSA-Delivered Official Controls in the Meat Sector”.
 
Whilst this was due to somebody else suggesting I should be contacted about this; the official was very polite in her response to my e-mail which stated the following “Late last year the Agency had a Review of the Food Law Code of Practice, Food Law Practice Guidance, and implementation of the Competency Framework, which I responded to by opposing it. In campaigning for approximately 25 years, it is hardly likely that I could support a policy that I believe is not beneficial in relation to public health.  This is further confirmed by the Don’t Risk Lives – Keep Meat Hygiene Inspections Independent Petition at Change.org link below which to-date has 219,760 signatures”.
 
Link to the consultation below.
 
https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/early-proposals-for-a-future-delivery-model-for-fsa-delivered-official-controls-in-the-meat-sector_0.pdf
 
Whilst I appreciate the work that civil servants do, I do not agree with policies made by either senior civil servants or Government that could impact adversely on the public.
 
For several years the Government has known there is a shortage of totally independent trained Vets and Environmental Health Officers or Practitioners (EHO’s or EHP’s) etc, but failed to address the need to train and fund sufficiently, staff who ensure the safety of our food.
 
Due to these shortages they are now having to cut the amount of inspections being carried out and are trying to lower the standard of inspections.  They are also considering third party assurance schemes, thus allowing the food industry to mark its own work.
 
If you think that meat is the only issue you would be sadly mistaken, as it affects the whole of the food chain. Recently the FSA gave an alert on melons. Link below to this alert.  
 
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/update-fsa-issues-precautionary-safety-advice-for-specific-melons

There were at least 99 cases of Salmonella illness caused by these melons. 
 
If you believe, as I do, that we need more totally independent inspections across the whole food chain please e-mail OTP@food.gov.uk with the following message:
 
“Scrap the Future Delivery Model for FSA-Delivered Official Controls and concentrate on doing what you were set up to do, which is to ensure our food is safe”
 
Alternatively, please leave a comment on the Food Standard Agency’s Facebook page or tweet them @foodgov
 
Thank you for your continued help and support.
 
Stay safe.