Scotland to get its own Food Standards body
Scotland to get its own Food Standards body
Following on from the recommendations of the Scudamore review agreement has finally been reached by Ministers to create a new Scottish body for food safety, food standards, nutrition, food labelling and meat inspection.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: “The changes in England removed significant capacity in the FSA’s nutrition andlabelling functions for Scotland and needed to be addressed.
“We have accepted all their recommendations. The new bodywill encompass nutrition and labelling policy, and meat inspection policy and operational delivery, in addition to food safety and standards. We will establish a new body which is independent, evidence-based, consumer-focussed and
transparent.
“Creating a new Scottish Food Standards body will require primarylegislation and we plan to consult on options before end of this year.”
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “I welcome the decision to transfer operational control of meat inspection delivery to the FSA in Scotland as soon as possible, which we hope will deliver a more cost-effective service.
“I am keen to explore how quickly this could be achieved. Legislation would not be needed so I would expect to transfer meat inspection, after discussions with the industry and the Food Standards Agency, before the new body is established.”
