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News: Application for Chia seeds to be approved for use in the European Union

A company has asked the FSA’s advisers on novel foods to consider an application for Chia seeds to be approved for use in the European Union (EU) under the simplified approval procedure, and a consultation has taken place. Chia seeds, which can be used in bread products, breakfast cereal, fruit, nut and seed mixes, are grown in particular regions of South America and Australia, but have not been consumed to a significant degree in Europe. The European Novel Foods Regulation includes a simplified approval procedure for when a company believes its novel food is substantially equivalent to a food that is already on the market. In such a situation, the applicant can submit a notification to the European Commission after obtaining an opinion on equivalence from an EU member state – in this case the UK.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Earned recognition to the animal feed sector extended

The FSA, in collaboration with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), has finalised agreements that further extend earned recognition to the animal feed sector. This will reduce the number of inspections for certain feed businesses, based on risk. The revised Feed Law Code of Practice (England), which was published in May, includes new measures recognising feed businesses that can demonstrate a good history of compliance or are compliant members of an approved industry assurance scheme. The change is aimed at helping reduce the burden of inspections on feed businesses, and ensure that inspections are focused more on high-risk areas of the sector. The Feed Law Code of Practice is awaiting approval in Wales, and in Northern Ireland, guidance will be developed. A new code for Scotland will be developed in conjunction with the new Scottish food body.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Link between how people currently prepare their food and the behaviours they experienced when they were kids

Parents have a big influence on their children’s food hygiene habits, according to an FSA survey. The results show a link between how people currently prepare their food and the behaviours they experienced when they were kids. More than two thirds of UK adults (70%) said their parents insisted on washing hands before meals, with 62% now doing the same themselves. Just over half (53%) recalled their parents washing chopping boards in between preparing raw and cooked foods – a behaviour that two thirds (66%) had recently repeated.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Call for people to stop washing raw chicken

The FSA has issued a call for people to stop washing raw chicken to reduce the risk of contracting campylobacter, a potentially dangerous form of food poisoning, and the most common form of food poisoning in the UK. The call comes as new figures show that 44% of people always wash chicken before cooking it – a practice that can spread campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment through the splashing of water droplets.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: The government has announced it will establish a Food Crime Unit

This is in response to the recommendations of the Elliott report on food integrity and assurance of food supply networks, which was commissioned following the horsemeat scandal. It has been reported that the new unit will comprise a specialist team within the Food Standards Agency.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: The Animal and Plant Health Agency

A new combined agency – The Animal and Plant Health Agency – is due to begin work in October 2014. The unit combines the four functions of the Food and Environment Research Agency (Bee inspectorate, the Plants Health and Seeds Inspectorate, the Plant Variety and Seeds Group and the GM Inspectorate) joining with the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Further work is being carried out on the future of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, including on whether or not it should form part of this agency.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: New food and drink buying standard

The Prime Minister has announced a new food and drink buying standard – ‘The Plan for Public Procurement’. The voluntary Plan involves the use of a scorecard and an e-marketplace and focuses on: provision of a toolkit which enables food procurers to consider a variety of factors when making decisions about procurement; working with industry, procurers, researchers and farmers to support opportunities for British grown produce and food within the public procurement market; ongoing work to develop the toolkit through five different working groups covering procurers, suppliers, research and technology bodies (focusing on innovation), assurance schemes and Local Enterprise Partnerships. Public sector buyers will now judge potential suppliers against five key criteria: how food is produced and whether the food was produced locally; the health and nutritional content of food purchased; the resource efficiency of producing the food, such as water and energy use and waste production; how far the food bought meets government’s socio-economic priorities such as involvement of SMEs.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Elizabeth Truss was promoted to become Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in July

Truss is the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, and was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education. Prior to entering Parliament, she was Deputy Director at the think-tank Reform.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Implementation of the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation

Defra has published a summary of the responses it received to its 2012/13 consultation on implementation of the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation on 16 July 2014. It received 108 responses to this consultation: 63 from organisations and 45 from members of the public. The document also sets out decisions taken on the approaches to national measures, derogations and enforcement.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014

News: Public Health England (PHE) has been seeking views on a draft physical activity implementation document 'Everybody Active, Every Day' and supporting implementation and evidence guide.

These set out the case for change, evidence base for implementation and the options for action and highlight four key domains for action at national and local level: active society – creating a social movement; moving professionals – activating networks of expertise; active lives – creating the right environments; and moving at scale – scaling up interventions that make us active. The document is a result of over 1,000 incidences of direct consultation with stakeholders and regional engagement events and consolidates for the first time National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and the policy landscape into options for action.
Sustain | Wednesday 1 October 2014