The FSA is today publishing the results of a study to look at the origin of foods claiming to be from the UK and Ireland. The study did not identify any cases of food on sale with misleading country of origin claims.

The study which used a screening technique known as stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) followed up with investigating traceability documentation. It examined 96 food samples (beef, pork, lamb, apple juice, tomatoes and honey) claimed to be from the UK, or from the Republic of Ireland. Samples were taken from mid-December 2013 to early January 2014.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA, said: 'It’s vital that consumers are provided with a true picture as to where the food they buy comes from. If it says it’s produce from the UK then it should be. We wanted, in this study, to check whether people were receiving accurate information on the origin of their food and the results are reassuring for consumers and businesses.

'We also wanted to gain experience of using the relatively new SIRA technology as a tool to show the country of origin of foodstuffs. We found SIRA effective in raising questions about where a food comes from but we relied on traceability information to further investigate origin.

'Defra and the FSA are continuing to work with the research community and industry to improve our ability to test the origin of foods and we look to build on this useful piece of work in the months ahead.'

The samples were mostly taken from retail or wholesale outlets, although four samples of raw beef burgers were obtained from caterers. The samples were not fully representative of the market, but, within the limitations of a small study, provided a reasonable spread across retailers and across the four countries of the UK. Samples were taken from both top end food ranges and economy ranges.

Of the 96 samples screened using SIRA, 78 were shown immediately to be consistent with the origin claimed and 18 were identified for follow-up investigation. Traceability and other evidence were requested for 17 of these samples. In all 17 cases the evidence supplied supported the country of origin claim.

For food law authorities it is very valuable to have a screening test that can help target investigation. SIRA has been shown to have real potential. For some foods it is already a realistic possibility for enforcement authorities to use SIRA screening, although for others some further development would be beneficial.

The latest round of industry and European Union (EU) testing published today found no horse meat DNA in meat products at or above the 1% reporting threshold.

Since 2013, the FSA has been working with the European Commission and industry in an extensive programme of testing to detect horse meat. These tests were carried out to check that beef products on sale or supplied into the UK food-chain were accurately labelled and did not contain horse meat DNA, following the discovery of horse meat in a range of products for sale across Europe.

Fourth quarterly report on industry tests of meat products
The FSA has published its fourth quarterly report of industry results from the testing of meat products for horse meat or horse DNA. The report includes 3,395 new results for beef products, and 2,466 results for other (non-beef) meat products. These figures include all test results submitted since the compilation of the third report, published in January 2014.

The food industry has continued to test meat products for the presence of horse meat/DNA since the previous quarterly update. A total of 50,876 results for horse meat/DNA in meat products have been submitted by industry to the FSA since 15 February 2013. Of these, 47 were positive samples. No new positive results have been reported since the first quarterly report in June 2013.

Results of second round of EU-wide testing on beef products
In addition to the industry testing, the UK also participated in a second round of EU-wide testing for undeclared horse meat in processed beef products. The latest round of 150 samples were taken by 24 local authorities and found no traces of horse meat. The majority of samples were taken in the first two weeks of the sampling period which ran from 21 April to 16 June 2014.

A range of processed beef products were tested for undeclared horse meat as part of this EU-wide survey requested by the European Commission. These included ready meals containing beef, canned beef products, beef sausages, beef burgers, minced beef and beef meat balls.

Sampling and analysis
Local authorities were asked to take samples from retail outlets including major and medium sized supermarkets and smaller shops and butchers. They were also asked to sample from wholesale ‘cash and carry’ premises and manufacturers supplying retailers or mass caterers. This included businesses supplying public institutions such as schools, prisons and hospitals.

A small number of composition/labelling issues were detected in relation to presence of other meats (not horse). Local authority enforcement officers are taking action to address non-compliance in all these cases

All UK businesses producing smoked fish now have access to a free web tool, which can help them make their food safer for consumers.

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland have developed the web tool so businesses, primarily smoked fish producers, can assess the effectiveness of their current processes and reduce the risk of contamination by Listeria monocytogenes.

The web tool asks the user a series of questions to establish whether they are following best practice, or whether a different approach is recommended. The assessment can be completed anonymously; however, businesses are encouraged to register so they may complete the assessment annually and compare results with previous years – allowing them to see how they've made their products safer.

Geoff Ogle, Director, Food Standards Agency, said: ‘The production of safe food is critical in protecting consumers. The ‘Safe Smoked Fish Tool’ is a focused way for smoked fish producers to ensure they are following best practice methods, with free advice and information on how to produce safe food. The tool is accessible and simple to use, enabling producers to monitor their own performance and ultimately reduce the risk of Listeria contamination. Improving controls in smoked fish production helps provide safer products, which also helps businesses in areas such as exports.’

The tool can be accessed on the Food Standards Agency website www.food.gov.uk/safesmokedfish

The Food Standards Agency, in collaboration with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), has finalised agreements that further extend earned recognition to the animal feed sector. This will reduce the number of inspections for certain feed businesses, based on risk.

Recognising compliance and approved assurance scheme members
The revised Feed Law Code of Practice (England), which was published in May, includes the new measures that recognise feed businesses that can demonstrate a good history of compliance or are compliant members of an approved industry assurance scheme. This means these businesses will qualify for a reduced frequency of inspection.

This change will help reduce the burden of inspections on feed businesses, and ensure that inspections are focused more on high-risk areas of the sector.

The Feed Law Code of Practice is awaiting approval in Wales, and in Northern Ireland, guidance will be developed for DARD. A new code for Scotland will be developed in conjunction with the new Scottish food body.

The assurance schemes
Working with the VMD, the FSA has partnered with the trade association Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) to approve the following schemes in the UK:

• Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS)
• Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS)
• Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops (TASCC)

To further apply earned recognition to the farming sector, the FSA has partnered with Red Tractor to approve these schemes in England and Wales:

• Beef and Lamb Scheme
• Dairy Scheme
• Crops and Sugar Beet Scheme
• Pigs and Poultry Schemes

Monitoring members and other schemes
The FSA has established robust governance arrangements to assess, approve and monitor assurance schemes. The monitoring process will include local authorities inspecting a sample group of assurance scheme members and feeding back to the FSA.

The FSA will also continue to explore earned recognition arrangements with other feed industry assurance schemes and the wider development of earned recognition in both the feed and food sectors based on risk.

John Barnes, Head of the Local Delivery Division at the Food Standards Agency, said: ‘Compliant businesses can significantly benefit from earned recognition – the move will see them have fewer inspections and save the time and costs associated with those inspections.

‘Earned recognition takes account of feed business operators’ own checks and levels of compliance – we’re pleased to announce that assurance schemes operated by AIC and Red Tractor that we have partnered will provide the dual benefit of recognising compliance and reducing the burden of inspection on businesses.’

What our partners said
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Paul Green, Operations Director, VMD, said: ‘The VMD is delighted to have reached agreement with the AIC and the FSA to grant earned recognition to members of UFAS. Under earned recognition, the VMD will increase the interval between its inspections for those UFAS-certificated feed mills that also fully comply with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. This is a great example of government and industry working together to reduce regulatory burdens.’

Agricultural Industries Confederation
John Kelley, Managing Director, AIC Services, said: ‘AIC (who manage the feed assurance schemes) have worked with the FSA and VMD over a number of years to achieve recognition of the feed assurance schemes. This will be a real tangible benefit for companies that are certified to these schemes as they will have fewer visits from their local authority. It is further recognition of the professional standards in place within the industry.’

Red Tractor
David Clarke, Chief Executive of the Red Tractor scheme, said: ‘We are pleased that the FSA recognises that the Red Tractor scheme provides solid assurance that farmers meet the requirements of Feed Hygiene legislation. The FSA assessment process was rigorous and we are pleased that our scheme came up to the mark.’