UK Food Safety Report: Industry Urged to Tackle Food Crime

12 Dec 2013 --- The UK Government and industry must do more to urgently tackle food crime. That’s according to Queen’s University Belfast food safety expert Professor Chris Elliott, who today (Thurs 12 December) published the initial findings of his official independent review of the UK’s food supply network.

Professor Elliott, who is Director of Queen’s University’s Institute for Global Food Security, was appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Health in June 2013 to lead the independent review in light of the horsemeat fraud. Professor Elliott is a world-leading expert on food integrity and traceability.

In his interim report, Professor Elliott identifies a range of weaknesses across the existing control systems in the UK and recommends ways to address those weaknesses.

Professor Elliott said: “UK consumers have access to perhaps the safest food in the world but the focus now urgently needs to turn to tackling food crime.

“Not enough evidence is collected about food crime and we don’t yet know the extent of how this global problem affects the UK food and drink market, worth £188bn. Estimates of the level of criminality vary, so further investigation needs to be a priority. I will look at this in more detail in the next phase of my review and will look to Government, industry and consumers to help develop the evidence here.

“The UK food industry is currently too vulnerable to criminals wishing to perpetrate fraud.  We need a culture within businesses involved in supplying food that focusses on depriving those who seek to deceive consumers. Government, and in particular a more robust Food Standards Agency has a major role to play partnering these efforts.

“A food supply system which is much more difficult for criminals to operate in is what we need to deliver, working together.”

Professor Elliott is examining the causes of the systemic failure that enabled the horsemeat fraud, the roles and responsibilities of businesses throughout the food supply chain to consumers and how to support consumer confidence.

The ongoing review, which will continue in 2014, focusses on consumer confidence in the authenticity of all food products and any weaknesses in food supply networks which could have implications for food safety and public health.

His findings will form recommendations to Defra and the Department of Health on how the UK might be able to increase the resilience of its food systems. The final report will be published in Spring 2014.

Professor Elliott leads Queen’s Institute for Global Food Security. The £33M Institute plays a key player in improving global food safety, and in national and global efforts to provide the world’s population with a sustainable, safe and secure supply of high quality food.

That will be the key theme of a major international conference to be hosted by the Institute next Spring. ASSET 2014 – The Food Integrity and Traceability Conference - will take place at Queen’s in April and will attract leading scientists, food standards regulators and agri-food producers from around the world.

Yesterday (Wednesday), the Institute celebrated the graduation of the first set of students from its MSc Advance Food Safety degree – one of a number of teaching programmes drawing on the Institute’s research strengths in areas as diverse as nutrition, diet and health, chemical engineering, biomedical sciences and biochemistry. A range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses aim to produce well-qualified graduates who will ensure the agri-food sector remains innovative, sustainable and globally competitive.

Earlier this week, Professor Elliott took part in a debate with key representatives from the Northern Ireland Agri-Food sector. Hosted by the Chief Executives’ Club at Queen’s and corporate law firm A & L Goodbody, ‘Growing our Agri-Food Industry: Challenges and opportunities for 2014’, addressed a range of topical issues for the local agri-food industry, which provides around 85,000 jobs and generates sales of £5.2 billion each year. Key challenges, including the implementation of the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth action plan, ensuring a high level of food integrity while competing in the international marketplace, and the effect of EU legislation on the Northern Ireland food sector, were discussed at the event.