The FSA have recently published wave 8 of the Eating Well Choosing Better (EWCB) Tracker Survey for Northern Ireland.

The EWCB Survey monitors NI consumers understanding of healthy eating, knowledge of recommended daily calorie intake, use of traffic-light labels, attitudes towards reformulation and healthier options outside the home.

The survey and report was conducted and produced by Ipsos on behalf of the FSA between 17th September 2022 and 19th November 2022 and the key findings were:

• 91% of participants recognised the traffic light label and 85% reported to understand what traffic light labels are for.
• 62% of consumers choose foods with healthier traffic light colours always/most times.
• Around half of those surveyed would be more likely to buy food reduced in saturated fat (51%), sugar (47%), and salt (42%) compared to the regular version.
• Participants found it difficult to choose healthier food in a range of settings including takeaways (72%), fast-food restaurants (63%), leisure facilities such as cinemas and bowling alleys (63%), restaurants (49%), cafés and sandwich shops (40%) and vending machines (36%).
• Consumers would like to see healthier options in settings such as takeaways (48%), fast food restaurants (46%), food outlets in leisure facilities (37%), restaurants and bars (33%) and vending machines (28%).
• 18% of male and 28% of female participants correctly identified the recommended daily calorie intake for their gender.
• Males and those in a lower socioeconomic group are less likely to find out nutritional information of products; use the traffic light label when shopping for food and want to see increased availability of food lower in saturated fat, sugar and salt.

You can read the access the report in full here

 

The FSA has announced that, in light of a criminal investigation being carried out by the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) into suspected meat fraud, it will be looking to explore improvements to the current system to protect against rogue actors and criminal activity.

In a recently published blog Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA said “I am pleased to say that a number of industry groups and representatives have agreed to work in collaboration with the FSA to explore improvements to the current system. These include the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, the British Meat Processors Association, the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation, the Food Industry Intelligence Network, and Red Tractor”.

Miles pledged to:

• Review the scope for a single telephone number or website that whistle-blowers can contact to report concerns about food businesses. There are currently multiple telephone lines run by industry bodies, as well as one run by the FSA.
• See how to strengthen the role that third-party audits can play in passing on information to regulators to help prevent food fraud. Third-party audits are used by retailers and others to check their own supply chains.
• Review the best format and mechanism for the FSA to share intelligence-based alerts to better warn businesses about problems in supply chains.

A working group is now being convened with industry with a first meeting planned for May.

 

The Government Chemist has recently published its strategy for 2023-2026.

The Government Chemist programme is delivered as part of the National Measurement System programme portfolio overseen by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

Informed by horizon scanning activities, the current regulatory framework, government food strategies and a stakeholder workshop conducted in June 2022, the Government Chemist Strategy focuses on four strategic aims:

• Protecting consumers in increasingly challenging times
• Supporting business and government across the four nations of the UK
• Collaboratively building a resilient national skills base
• Maximising UK measurement expertise to address global challenges.

You can read the strategy in full here

ACRYLAMIDES AND 3MCPDS DISCUSSED AT SCoPAFF MEETING

On the 27^th February, a SCoPAFF meeting for Novel Food and Toxicological Safety was held.  Amongst other things discussed was the potential for setting regulatory/maximum levels for Acrylamides and 3-MCPDs.

Unfortunately, the food categorisation of the most recent occurrence data versus previous sampling years differed. This meant that the food categories of the two data sets were not directly comparable and therefore suggested new benchmark levels and maximum levels could not be set.

Work is now ongoing to find a solution to this problem to ensure that technical discussions on the suggested new levels can be finalised by autumn 2023.

You can read more here

 

EFSA’s Scientific Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) have published a re‐evaluation of the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs.

In 2015, EFSA established a temporary tolerable daily intake (t‐TDI) for BPA of 4 μg/kg body weight (bw) per day. In 2016, the European Commission mandated EFSA to re‐evaluate the risks to public health from the presence of BPA in foodstuffs and to establish a tolerable daily intake (TDI).

The CEP Panel concluded that it is Unlikely to Very Unlikely that BPA presents a genotoxic hazard through a direct mechanism. However, taking into consideration the evidence from animal data and support from human observational studies, the immune system was identified as most sensitive to BPA exposure.

As a result, the Panel have significantly lowered the TDI to 0.2 ng BPA/kg bw per day. By comparing the new TDI with estimates of dietary exposure to BPA, the Panel concluded that consumers with both average and high exposure to BPA in all age groups exceeded the new TDI, indicating health concerns.

You can read the report in full here

The Food Standards Agency has launched a 12-week consultation seeking views on the proposed developments for a modernised food hygiene delivery model (FHDM).

The aim is to develop a model that is fit for the future and ensures that the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) continues to operate successfully and maintains consumer confidence.

Stakeholders’ views are sought on the following proposed developments:

• A modernised food hygiene intervention rating scheme, including a decision matrix, to determine the appropriate frequency of food hygiene controls based on the risk posed by a food business establishment.
• An updated risk-based approach to the timescales for initial official controls of new food establishments, and for undertaking due official controls.
• Increased flexibility as to the methods and techniques of official controls that can be used to risk rate an establishment, including the appropriate use of remote assessment.
• Extending the activities that officers, such as Regulatory Support Officers, who do not hold a ‘suitable qualification’ for food hygiene can, if competent, undertake.

The consultations for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are available on the FSA website and will run until 30 June 2023.

They are open to local authorities and district councils, food business operators, third-party assurance organisations for food safety, professional awarding bodies for environmental health and trading standards, trade unions and other interested groups.

All comments and views should be included in the consultation response form and emailed to hygienemodelreview@food.gov.uk