The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today published proposals that would continue to allow farmers to sell unpasteurised, or raw, milk to consumers from their farms or at farmers' markets.

The FSA has reviewed the current controls to make sure they are clear, consistent and control the public health risks associated with raw milk, particularly for emerging sales routes such as the internet and vending machines. The review covered England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Sale of raw milk is banned in Scotland.

In a consultation document published today by the FSA, a number of options are considered.These range from removing restrictions on sales through to introducing a requirement for all milk to be pasteurised prior to sale.

We want your views about our proposed approach

Our preferred approach therefore seeks to strike the right balance between allowing consumer choice and protecting public health.

The FSA’s current preferred approach would be to retain the existing restriction on sales and add some clarity to the rules. This would allow raw milk and cream to be sold directly by farmers to consumers, as set out in the current regulations.

In addition, the FSA would provide guidance to clarify the rules around the other sales routes, regularise the labelling requirements and work with producers to harmonise controls for raw milk from species other than cows. Farmers would be able to sell raw milk directly to consumers via the internet and vending machines placed at the farm or farm shops. Wider retail sales would remain prohibited.

The FSA would like to hear from a broad range of stakeholders about its current preferred approach, and the other options set out in the consultation document. The FSA Board will reach a final decision after the consultation, and wider engagement activity, have concluded.

Steve Wearne, Head of Policy at the FSA, said: 'The FSA’s view remains that pasteurisation is the best way to address the risk from raw milk because this will destroy any germs that might cause illness. However, we acknowledge there is a market for raw milk and strong support for consumers to be allowed to make informed choices. Our preferred approach therefore seeks to strike the right balance between allowing consumer choice and protecting public health.

'The new routes of sale that have emerged over the last few years have tested the interpretations of the current regulations and where it is acceptable to sell raw milk. We do not believe the regulations need changing, but businesses and those who enforce the rules need greater clarity on what is acceptable. The guidance we are proposing will deliver that.

'These proposals are the culmination of extensive data gathering and analysis. We have already had valuable contributions from a range of stakeholders, including raw milk producers and consumers, and we know it is a subject that many are passionate about. We are keen to hear what people think of our proposals.'

As part of the consultation process on the raw milk regulations the FSA will be holding a public meeting where people and organisations with an interest in the raw milk debate will be invited to discuss their views. Further details of the event will be available shortly.

The proposals are subject to a full public consultation and the FSA is asking for responses by 30 April 2014.

Last month, we examined the extent of food and drink waste and a few ways in which food businesses are tackling the issue. While the scale of food and drink waste has reduced over the last few years, a great deal is still being sent to landfills.  Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers one alternative endpoint to food waste.

There is waste at every stage of the food production process. The UK produces 110 million tonnes of organic waste, 90 m tonnes of which is agricultural waste such as manure and slurry, 18 m tonnes of food waste and 2 m tonnes of sewage sludge.  Currently viewed as a liability, with their correct disposal closely regulated, these wastes can be turned into a valuable resource.

The types of organic wastes produced throughout the food processing chain are diverse and they all have a calorific and/or nutrient value. Ideally these nutrients can be returned to the land in a beneficial way and AD is the most efficient way to achieve this. The lifecycle of a food product begins at the farm through to food processing, transport, retail, consumption, and finally to waste, where the life of a product usually ends.  With the implementation of AD, this chain is transformed into a loop.

AD is a natural process whereby microorganisms break down biodegradable materials such as animal slurry and food waste in the absence of oxygen. The resultant output is digestate: a rich bio-fertiliser that can be used as renewable fertiliser as well as biogas that can be used to generate electricity and heat.  The biogas can be used to generate heat and electricity on-site and any excess can be exported to the National Grid and is eligible for various government financial incentives, including Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs), Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). As well as ensuring energy security for the business, the renewable energy produced by the AD generates an additional, attractive income stream. 

The digestate produced by AD negates the need to import other nutrients or soil conditioners.  Aside from the financial savings of this “closed loop” process, the rich quality of this natural fertiliser has a range of other benefits. The resultant material will displace the need to use expensive, unsustainable, energy hungry artificial chemical fertilisers, which account for 30% of the carbon footprint of food.

In June 2011, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), working alongside industry, published their Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan, designed to introduce measures to increase energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.  In July 2012 DEFRA published a report outlining the progress made since the initial report.  There are now more data available on AD as well as advice for businesses that wish to start up an AD system.  As of June 2012, there were 78 operational AD plants that treat waste and farm feedstocks in the UK.  There is an AD Portal online, bringing together the latest reports, research and other information to assist those interested in starting up or maintaining an AD plant.

Funding for AD projects is widely accessible through tax relief and grants for start-up costs.  Capital grant schemes are available to support AD plant construction.  The Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy scheme provides businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria.  The Waste Reduction Action Plan (WRAP) have a Anaerobic Digestion Loan Fund (ADLF) available to support the development of new AD capacity in England; this was created as a result of DEFRA’s AD Strategy and Action Plan.  Businesses can apply for up to £1,000,000 through the WRAP website.  There is also the option to send organic waste to be treated by a third party, a number of which offer collections services.  These can easily be found online.  There is a great deal of advice available online for businesses that are interested in incorporating anaerobic digestion into their business.  DEFRA’s AD Strategy and Action Plan is a valuable guidance tool which provides answers to a number of questions about AD.

Introducing an anaerobic digestion system can significantly strengthen agri-food operations and has the potential to make primary food producers businesses fully sustainable and even carbon neutral.  AD can play an important role in dealing with organic waste and avoiding, through better capture and treatment, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with sending waste to a landfill.

Following the Scotland New Food body consultation between February and May 2013 Scottish Government has now published first report, which sets out how the Scottish Government will proceed. The IFST responded to this consultation among 126 others. The new food body will:

• Make sure food in Scotland is safe to eat

• Improve the diet and nutrition of people in Scotland

• Be an effective and proportionate regulator, supporting the Scottish food and drink industry in growing its strong, international reputation for safe, quality food

• Be more efficient and more responsive to Scottish circumstances

In June 2012 Scottish Ministers agreed to create a new food body for Scotland. This will be an independent, evidence-based and transparent body to carry out the functions presently delivered in Scotland by the UK-wide Food Standards Agency. These are food safety and standards, feed safety and standards, nutrition, food labelling, meat inspection policy and operational delivery.

A public consultation on creating a new food body was carried out between February and May 2013 which asked for suggestions to widen this group of functions further.

The Food Standards Agency, in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is carrying out a study to look at the geographic origin of foods claiming to be from the UK.

About the study

Food samples from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be analysed using a technique known as stable isotope ratio analysis.

The aims of the study are to:

• check the accuracy of current origin claims on food labels to ensure consumers can be confident that food labelled as from the UK is what it claims to be
• gain experience of using stable isotope analysis to assess where food comes from

Samples of food have been taken from retail, wholesale and food service outlets. In total, more than 100 samples are being tested, and comprise beef (including burgers), pork, lamb, tomatoes, apple juice and honey.

Stable isotope analysis is a screening method that acts as a useful indicator of potential fraudulent activity. Any results that suggest a problem will be followed up with an audit of traceability. The traceability audit should be completed by April 2014 and the full report of the study will be published.

Science behind the story

Stable isotope ratio analysis
Stable isotope ratio analysis can be used to give an indication as to whether a certain food has come from a certain geographic location. This is be done by comparing isotopes.

What is an isotope?
An isotope is a variant of a chemical element – oxygen, hydrogen and carbon are all chemical elements and each has naturally occurring variants in slightly different forms. These isotopes can be distinguished by their mass, and used to compare a particular food of claimed provenance with authentic samples of the same food produced in different regions of the UK. If there is a good match it does not prove that the food was produced in the UK but suggests that it could have been. If there is not a good match in results then that would strongly suggest that the food was not produced in the UK and needs further investigation.

Geology and weather create changes
The proportion of an isotope or group of isotopes in a particular food might vary because of geological and climatic processes.

For example, crops grown in the UK have a higher proportion of heavy hydrogen and oxygen than the same crops grown in mainland Europe. This is because the proportion of heavy forms of hydrogen and oxygen diminishes with distance from the sea.

Another example is the way in which plants metabolise carbon dioxide results in certain plants being richer in heavy isotopes of carbon. This means the isotopic composition of animals, and meat derived from these animals, reflects where they were reared and the plant material they eat.

The FSA has been alerted about turkey butterflies that were produced in an unapproved premises, and is advising people not to consume the affected product.

It is suspected that eighteen* tonnes of turkey butterflies, processed by Severnside Provisions Ltd at premises in Newport, South Wales, were supplied to independent butchers and catering outlets throughout South and Mid Wales, South West and South Central England. Eight tonnes have so far been retained and prevented from entering the food chain after action by Newport City Council.

There is no evidence at present of any specific risk to public health from consuming this product. However, it is illegal to supply meat from unapproved premises.

Severnside Provisions Ltd is a premises that is approved for processing bacon, but the company has been processing turkeys in conditions that do not meet the required hygiene standards for food production. Investigations by the local authority are ongoing as to the circumstances of how this meat was processed.

Anyone who has bought a turkey butterfly which was processed by Severnside Provisions Ltd, should not eat it. The shop where it was bought should be able to advise whether the product was processed by Severnside.

Local authorities have been asked to ensure that this product is withdrawn from sale and destroyed.