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The Scottish Executive: Draft Budget 2004-05 Summary

Chapter 6 Food Standards Agency

To be trusted as Scotland's most reliable source of advice and information about food, to protect and improve the safety of the food people eat, and to help people to choose a healthy diet.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: To further improve the high levels of consumer confidence in food safety and standards.

• Target 1: Achieve a 2% increase over 2003-04 survey result of consumer confidence in FSAS.
• Target 2: Hold 4 interactive "Recipe for Success" roadshows, raising consumer awareness in food hygiene and identifying public concerns.
• Target 3: Support the Scottish Food Advisory Committee by holding six open meetings throughout Scotland.

Objective 2: To reduce foodborne illness in Scotland.

• Target 4: Implement foodborne illness strategy supporting the UK target of 20% reduction by 2006.
• Target 5: Implement Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system across catering businesses.

Objective 3: To improve the effectiveness of food law enforcement across Scotland, improving standards across the whole food chain.

• Target 6: Complete 3-year rolling food safety audit of all 32 local authorities in Scotland and publish results.

Objective 4: To support long-term health improvement across Scotland, supporting the Scottish Diet Action Plan, through improved consumer choice and diet.

• Target 7: Implement 18-point food labelling action plan, resulting in the promotion of good labelling practice and improvement of consumer education and choice.
• Target 8: Implement the FSAS Diet and Nutrition Strategy.

Spending plans 2003-06

Table 6.01 Spending plans (level 3)

What the budget does

We will deliver a measurable increase in public confidence in the way food safety and standards are managed in Scotland. We will make sure that issues of public concern are debated openly and that our advice and information is freely available.

Portfolio priorities

In 2004-05 we will focus our resources on:

• delivering a measurable reduction in foodborne illness, contributing to the overall UK target of a 20% reduction by 2006, by focusing on the implementation of HACCP across food businesses, concentrating on caterers;
• working in partnership with the SE and other organisations to improve the evidence base on diet and nutrition in Scotland and further support the implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan; and
• increasing research and surveillance into food poisoning organisms such as campylobacter and identifying ways of minimising their risk.

New resources

No further new resources have been announced in the FSA Scotland budget since the 2002 Spending Review.

Closing the opportunity gap

The Food Standards Agency is committed to the long-term improvement of health of the Scottish population and the accessibility of information and healthy food to disadvantaged groups. In establishing a sound evidence base the agency is committed to:

• focusing on nutrition, health benefits and hygiene education that will form life skills for children and young people;
• facilitating access to healthy and nutritional food for disadvantaged groups;
• improving food labelling to allow consumers to make informed choices about their diet and the food they buy; and
• ensuring that all our information is accessible across all groups including the socially disadvantaged and ethnic minorities.

Sustainable development

The agency is committed to conserving energy, water and other resources, reducing waste and minimising the release of greenhouse gasses. We have an active recycling policy achieving recycling of over 85% of office waste. Future procurement will aim to minimise goods and supplies that are dependent on the use of non-renewable resources or pollutants.

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