We are a non-Ministerial government department so we are governed by a Board, rather than directly by Ministers. The Board ensures we fulfil our legal obligations so that all decisions or actions consider scientific advice and the interests of consumers.
Our Board is chaired by Heather Hancock and has between seven and 11 other members. They are responsible for the overall strategic direction of our organisation. Day-to-day management is delegated to officials through the Chief Executive.
The Board is mainly appointed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. One member is appointed by the Welsh Health Minister, and one by the Northern Ireland Health Minister. Information about how the Board works can be found in the Code of Conduct and Standing Orders documents.
COVID-19 and changes to 2020 FSA Board Meetings
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chair and Chief Executive have updated arrangements for Board meetings. Board and Business Committee meetings will be conducted online until at least the end of 2020.
We will maintain our commitment to openness and transparency by live streaming the meetings.
In an effort to avoid lengthy virtual meetings, we will hold more meetings, with each event being for a maximum of 2.5 hours.
The planned structure is:
- 26 August – Board
- 16 September - Board
- 23 September – Business Committee
- 18 November – Board
- 2 December - Board
- 8 December – Business Committee
- 9 March - Board
- 10 March - Business Committee
More information about agendas and timings will be released closer to the time of each meeting.
The next meeting Board meeting will be on 9 March 2021 via Zoom.
How to register to view a meeting
You can view meetings to see the Board's discussions about our policies.
The Board holds its meetings in public and publishes meeting agendas, papers and decisions.
You need to register to view a Board meeting.
Submitting a question
The FSA Board welcomes questions on the discussions held at each of its meetings. We are interested in receiving questions rather than comments and would advise that queries are kept as concise and focused as possible.
You can submit questions from Friday 5 March until 12:00 on Monday 8 March to board.sec@food.gov.uk.
Any questions received after the deadline, including on the day of the meeting, will be answered by correspondence only.
Questions for the FSA received before the deadline will be read out at the start of the meeting. The Board and Executive will then have the opportunity to address them as part of the relevant discussions.
Those who have submitted questions for the FSA will receive a written reply within 14 working days, which will then be published on our website.
Meetings
| Date | Type of meeting | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March 2021 | Board | 09:30 - 12:00 | Zoom |
| 10 March 2021 | Business Committee | 09:30 - 12:00 | Zoom |
| 16 June 2021 | Board and Business Committee | London | |
| 15 September 2021 | Board and Business Committee | London | |
| 8 December 2021 | Board and Business Committee | London |
| Meetings in 2020 | |
|---|---|
| 8 December 2020 | Business Committee Agenda and Papers (December 2020) |
| 2 December 2020 | Agenda and Papers (December 2020) |
| 18 November 2020 | Papers and video (November 2020) |
| 23 September 2020 | Business Committee Papers and video (September 2020) |
| 16 September 2020 | Papers and video (September 2020) |
| 26 August 2020 | Minutes, papers and video (August 2020) |
| 17 June 2020 | Minutes, papers and video (June 2020) |
| 11 March 2020 | Minutes, papers and video (March 2020) |
| 21 January 2020 | Minutes, papers and video (January 2020) |
| Meetings in 2019 | |
|---|---|
| 18 September 2019 | Minutes, papers and video (September 2019) |
| 19 June 2019 | Minutes, papers and video (June 2019) |
| 8 May 2019 | Minutes, papers and video (May 2019) |
| 13 March 2019 | Minutes, papers and video (March 2019) |
| Meetings in 2018 | |
|---|---|
| 5 December 2018 | Minutes, papers and video (December 2018) |
| 17 October 2018 | Minutes, papers and video (October 2018) |
| 19 September 2018 | Minutes, papers and video (September 2018) |
| 20 June 2018 | Minutes, papers and video (June 2018) |
| 14 March 2018 | Minutes, papers and video (March 2018) |
| Meetings in 2017 | |
|---|---|
| 6 December 2017 | Minutes, papers and video (December 2017) |
| 20 September 2017 | Minutes, papers and video (September 2017) |
| 21 June 2017 | Minutes, papers and video (June 2017) |
| 15 March 2017 | Minutes, papers and video (March 2017) |
Archived Board meetings
Board members
All personal or business interests that may be perceived to influence their judgement should be declared. Such interests include involvement in the agriculture, food and related industries.
- Heather Hancock - Chair of the FSA Board
- Colm McKenna - FSA Board Member for Northern Ireland and Chair of Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee
- David Brooks - Board Member
- Margaret Gilmore - Board Member
- Mark Rolfe - Board Member
- Dr Ruth Hussey - Deputy FSA Chair
- Timothy Riley - Board Member
- Peter Price - Board Member for Wales and Chair of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee
Board attendance
A record of Board Members' attendance at Board, Business Committee and ARAC meetings can be found below.
Board engagements
A record of engagements undertaken by Board members can be found below.
Committees of the FSA Board
The FSA Board appointed an Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) and Business Committee to exercise some of its responsibilities and to advise it on others.
ARAC and Business Committee pages
Board expenses
Details of the business expenses of Board members can be found through the link below.