FOB CEO’s Weekly New for 1st July 2019

National Food Strategy: The Government, DEFRA, has launched an Independent Review that will support the development of a National Food Strategy. The Independent Review will be led by Defra’s lead Non-Executive Director Henry Dimbleby, who will collect evidence and consult with a wide range of individuals and organisations that are involved in or directly affected by our food system. He will then present his findings and recommendations to Government.

What is the National Food Strategy?

Food is central to our culture and national identity, with one in eight of us earning our livelihood through food. Being a nation that can feed itself is a vital part of our national sense of belonging. There are a number of challenges that cut across our food system around the environment, food security, farming, health and much more. These issues raise a number of policy questions for Government.

The purpose of the National Food Strategy is to build on the work underway in the Agriculture Bill, the Environment Bill, the Fisheries Bill, the Industrial Strategy and the Childhood Obesity Plan to create an overarching strategy for government which will set out the kind of food system we should be building for the future, and a plan for how to achieve that vision.

Where can I find out more?

The Terms of Reference for the Strategy have now been published here. The Terms of Reference outlines the purpose of the Strategy, the scope of the work and how it will be run.

Henry Dimbleby’s team have also set up an external website www.nationalfoodstrategy.org.

FDF announced on 19 June 2019 publication of ‘A recipe for growth, prosperity and sustainability: the UK food and drink industry’s plan for success’.

The publication, drawn up by a number of UK food and drink industry businesses, including FoB, sets out a vision for how policymakers across government and the devolved administrations can support the industry. The Plan covers various policy areas, based around topics including: Future regulation and trade policy; Tackling obesity; Developing skills and talent; Investing in exports and innovation; and Environmental sustainability.

Pesticide Residues in Food: The latest edition of the annual EU report on pesticide residues in food has now been published (national summary reports).  It reveals that just under 96% of food samples were found to be free of pesticide residues or to contain traces that fall within legally permitted levels.  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) analysed the results of around 88,000 samples collected in 2017 from the 28 EU Member States plus Iceland and Norway to compile the report. Notwithstanding these encouraging results, EFSA has made several recommendations to increase the efficiency of the European control systems to ensure a continuing high level of consumer protection.  The main findings can be explored by country and food product using EFSA’s specially developed data visualisation tool.

New food allergy labelling legislation to protect vulnerable consumers: The Defra Secretary, Michael Gove, has announced that the Government will legislate to require food businesses to include full ingredient labelling on pre-packaged foods for direct sale to the public in order to protect people suffering from severe food allergies. A review of allergen labelling legislation followed the tragic death of a teenager who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette which lacked allergen labelling.  The Government intends to introduce this legislation by the end of the summer with a view to it coming into force in England, Northern Ireland and Wales by summer 2021. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) welcomed the announcement which is in line with its recommendation to Ministers.

Groceries Code Adjudicator: News from the Adjudicator. The latest edition is here read the newsletter online.

Logistics sector to face skill shortage in next five years: The logistics sector is expected to face tough time with recruitment in the next five years, due to low wages and lack of relevant skills. According to the report UK Logistics Monitor 2019 published by CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport) and Statista, 54.0% of logistics companies are expecting skills shortages to increase over the next five years. However, 21.0% are uncertain for their future recruitment ability and only 4.0% expect the skills shortage to improve.

Additionally, office staff, vehicle drivers and warehouse workers are likely to be in high demand. However, vacancies for software engineers, project managers and executives are the hardest to fill. 42.0% of logistics firms cite lack of job-specific skills as the main barrier to successful recruitment. Further, logistics companies are looking to invest more in technologies to drive efficiencies but face challenges in recruiting software engineers in particular. Additionally, 23.0% of logistics firms stated that it is problematic for them to recruit tech talent.

Hazardous Substances – Fitness Check Roadmap on Endocrine Disrupters

The European Commission published on 12 June 2019 a fitness check roadmap on endocrine disrupters.

This roadmap sets out how the fitness check will assess whether the variety of EU chemicals legislation and measures deliver their objective to protect human health and the environment by minimising the overall exposure to endocrine disruptors.

The roadmap is open for feedback until 10 July 2019, with a public consultation planned and adoption expected mid-2020.

 EFSA published on 7 June 2019 the details of a Eurobarometer EU survey on food safety. The highlights from the report include:

• The most important factors for Europeans when buying food are where the food comes from (53%), cost (51%), food safety (50%) and taste (49%);

• Overall, 41% of respondents are personally interested in food safety and 22% say that safety is their main concern when choosing food;

• 66% have changed their consumption after receiving information about a food risk, with 33% making a permanent change;

• Changes in consumption behaviour are more common among women, those in the middle age bands, and those with higher levels of education;

• The issues of most concern include antibiotic, hormone or steroid residues in meat (44%), pesticide residues in food (39%), environmental pollutants in fish, meat or dairy (37%) and additives used in food or drinks (36%);

• Trust is highest in scientists (82%) and consumer organisations (79%) for information on food-related risks, with food industries only trusted by 36%; and

• 43% say that ‘there are regulations in place to make sure that the food you eat is safe’.

Miscellaneous – National Audit Office Report on Food Safety and Standards

The National Audit Office published on 12 June 2019 a report entitled ‘Ensuring food safety and standards’.

The report focuses on the effectiveness of the current regulatory arrangements to ensure that food is safe to eat and is what it says it is. It covers food safety controls and food safety standards and food composition and labelling requirements. The coherence of the wider regulatory system, and its ability to respond to both emerging risks and future challenges is also examined.

The report concludes that, in terms of foodborne illness, the majority of food businesses are meeting hygiene standards and levels of major foodborne illnesses are broadly stable. However, it highlights that the food regulation system has come under increasing financial pressure and has elements that are outdated. Concerns are raised about the ability of the current regulatory system to achieve value for money, in response to uncertain circumstances ahead following the UK’s exit from the EU and other emerging risks to food safety.

FSA published on 12 June 2019 a response to the National Audit Office, welcoming the report. It also highlights the following recommendations for the FSA:

• Establish the role that sampling plays in reducing risks to consumers;

• Address gaps in outcome-based measures and targets for assessing compliance with food safety and composition standards;

• Press ahead with its ambition to introduce mandatory display of hygiene ratings in food businesses in England; and

• Address gaps in the enforcement powers available to the Food Crime Unit. CIEH published on 13 June 2019 a summary of key findings contained in the National Audit Office report. It also calls for more funding for Environmental Health. FSS published on 13 June 2019 a Fast Facts document on nitrates and nitrites in processed meat.

The document covers an explanation of what nitrates and nitrites are, whether there is a link between red and processed meat and cancer and how much of those foods should be eaten

Meat and Fish Products – Fast Facts on Nitrates and Nitrites in Processed Meat

FSS published on 13 June 2019 a Fast Facts document on nitrates and nitrites in processed meat.

The document covers an explanation of what nitrates and nitrites are, whether there is a link between red and processed meat and cancer and how much of those foods should be eaten.