News Centre

Most recent news stories

• Ground-breaking study into peanut allergy

  Friday 17 May 2013

  Do you have a peanut allergy? You could be part of a ground-breaking clinical study commissioned by the FSA that will identify, for the first time, how sensitivity to peanut is altered by external factors including exercise and stress.

• FSA open Board meeting: 4 June 2013

  Friday 17 May 2013

  The next FSA open Board meeting is being held at the Agency's headquarters: Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH. It will begin at 1pm on Tuesday 4 June 2013 and will be chaired by Agency Chair Jeff Rooker. You can attend in person or watch it live online.

• EFSA call to renew panel membership

  Friday 17 May 2013

  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a call to renew the membership of its scientific panel on food additives and nutrient sources added to food (ANS) and scientific panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids (CEF).

• FSA to co-fund food research

  Thursday 9 May 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is joining up with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to co-fund innovative research on food safety through the TSB’s competition Nutrition for Life – Providing Safe and Healthy Food.

• Commission proposes revisions to food and feed regulations

  Wednesday 8 May 2013

  The European Commission has published proposals to change the current legislation governing all official controls in the food and agriculture industries. The proposed plans will potentially affect all organisations involved in the production, manufacture, supply and regulation of food, feed, live animals, plants and plant reproductive material.

• Chair of the Food Standards Agency

  Wednesday 8 May 2013

  The Secretary of State for Health, the Ministers for Health in Scotland and Wales and the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland are looking to appoint a Chair to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

• Attitudes to treatments surveyed

  Wednesday 1 May 2013

  The risk of food poisoning can be reduced by using slaughterhouse decontamination treatments on raw meat. Consumers have given the FSA their views on which treatments they would find acceptable.

• April issue of FSA e-News published

  Wednesday 24 April 2013

  The latest issue of FSA e-News, which is now available online, includes news and updates on some of the Agency’s activities over the past month.

• Final result from UK-wide beef survey confirmed

  Tuesday 23 April 2013

  The FSA has received confirmation of the final result for the remaining sample taken as part of the Agency’s UK-wide sampling programme of beef products. The product had been withdrawn from sale following an initial test.

• Views wanted on chia seeds

  Tuesday 23 April 2013

  Two companies have asked the FSA's expert advisers on novel foods to consider applications for chia seeds to be approved for use in the European Union (EU) under the simplified approval procedure. A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the EU before 15 May 1997.

• Board meeting available online

  Friday 19 April 2013

  Wednesday's FSA open Board meeting is now available as a video-on-demand and as a podcast. The agenda included discussion on the review of the Agency's operational response to incidents of adulteration of comminuted beef products with horse and pig meat and DNA, and the FSA response to the UK Government's growth duty.

• FSA adds development tools for enforcement officers

  Thursday 18 April 2013

  The FSA provides help for officers to develop their knowledge through training tools, professional courses and funding for local authority-led work. For officers currently looking at their development plans, the Agency has added two new tools to the Enforcement section of the website.

• Fifth acrylamide and furan survey published

  Thursday 18 April 2013

  The FSA has published interim results from its fifth and latest study looking at levels of acrylamide, furan and the process contaminants in a range of UK foods.

• Review into FSA response to horse meat incident

  Wednesday 17 April 2013

  The FSA Board today agreed that a review will be carried out into the Agency’s response to the recent incidents of adulteration of processed beef products with horse and pig meat and DNA.

• Results of Europe-wide beef product survey published

  Tuesday 16 April 2013

  In February the European Commission asked all member states to carry out a survey of beef products to check for the presence of horse DNA. These results have now been published.

• Views wanted on algal oils

  Friday 12 April 2013

  A company has applied to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to widen the use of two algal oils under the Novel Food Regulation (EC) No. 258/97. Views are wanted on the draft opinions, which were prepared by the FSA's independent committee of experts, on these novel food ingredients.

• Very low levels of bute found in Asda 'Smart Price Corned Beef'

  Tuesday 9 April 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has been informed by Asda that very low levels of the veterinary medicine phenylbutazone, known as bute, have been found in 340g tins of its Smart Price Corned Beef.

• Update on Agency’s beef product survey

  Tuesday 9 April 2013

  The FSA has confirmed results for four of the remaining five samples relating to the Agency’s UK-wide sampling programme of beef products. All five of the products were withdrawn from sale following receipt of the first test results.

• ASA rejects complaint against ad campaign

  Wednesday 3 April 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has welcomed the decision by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to dismiss a complaint against a food hygiene advertising campaign. The campaign was aimed at getting consumers to check hygiene standards before choosing where to eat out.

• FSA publishes Food and You 2012 survey results

  Tuesday 26 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has published the second wave of its biennial survey exploring the public’s attitudes and reported behaviour on food safety issues.

• Updated results of FSA UK-wide survey of beef products

  Tuesday 26 March 2013

  Further test results from the first two phases of the FSA’s UK-wide sampling programme of beef products have now been confirmed. The results show 352 out of 362* samples were negative for the presence of both horse and pig DNA.

• Agency welcomes new allergy project

  Monday 25 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is supporting an international study into food allergy which has just launched.

• Hungarian horse meat labelled as beef

  Friday 22 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has been informed by Lancashire County Council that it has identified 100kg of horse meat imported from Hungary labelled as beef.

• Burger company withdraws products

  Friday 22 March 2013

  Testing carried out by Powys County Council, as requested by the FSA, has shown that three samples of beef burger products made by catering supplier, The Burger Manufacturing Company (BMC), have tested positive for at least 1% horse meat.*

• March issue of FSA e-News published today

  Thursday 21 March 2013

  The latest issue of FSA e-News, which is now available online, includes news and updates on some of the Agency’s activities over the past month.

• Hygiene rating schemes: evaluation findings

  Wednesday 20 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is today publishing early findings from an ongoing evaluation of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS).

• HPA publishes Cryptosporidium investigation findings

  Tuesday 19 March 2013

  The Health Protection Agency (HPA) today published findings of an investigation into an outbreak of Cryptosporidium infection that affected around 300 people in England and Scotland in May 2012.

• Cutting plant suspension lifted

  Monday 18 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has granted conditional approval to the Aberystwyth meat plant that had its approval suspended during the horse meat investigations.*

• Views wanted on a novel food supplement

  Monday 18 March 2013

  A Japanese company has applied to the Food Standards Agency for approval to market a strain of the bacterium Clostridium butyricum as a novel food ingredient for use in food supplements. Views are wanted on the draft opinion prepared by the FSA's independent committee of experts.

• Agency warning on lead in Pascalite powder

  Friday 15 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is today issuing a warning about the levels of lead in Pascalite powder in batches from Pascalite Inc, which may be bought on the internet.

• Latest research published by the FSA

  Tuesday 12 March 2013

  The Agency has produced a summary of its research published in February and March 2013. The eight areas of research include an evaluation into reducing the shedding of E.coli in cattle in the UK, the safety of sous vide foods and new approaches for managing foodborne disease outbreaks.

• GACS open meeting

  Monday 11 March 2013

  The General Advisory Committee on Science (GACS) is issuing an open invitation to its 11th meeting, which will be held in London on Thursday 21 March 2013.

• Research call for poultry assessment

  Monday 11 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is putting out a research call to provide a better understanding of public health risks associated with partially eviscerated (effilé) poultry production.

• Update on progress of FSA beef product surveys

  Friday 8 March 2013

  Sampling of the first and second phases of the Food Standards Agency's UK-wide survey of beef products has been completed and the initial test results published today. The results show that 212 of the 224 samples taken in phase one are negative for both horse and pig DNA at or above the 1% threshold.

• Slaughterhouse suspension lifted

  Friday 8 March 2013

  On February 12, the FSA announced that it had suspended operations at Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterhouse, Todmorden, West Yorkshire as part of its ongoing investigation into the mislabelling of meat products.

• No particles found in Dalgety Bay seafood

  Friday 8 March 2013

  No radioactive particles have been detected in winkles, mussels and cockles from Dalgety Bay since sampling started in February 2012.

• Board meeting available online

  Thursday 7 March 2013

  Tuesday's Agency open Board meeting is now available as a video-on-demand and as a podcast. The agenda included discussion on the horse meat incident, the Review of Delivery of Official Controls and the Balance of Competence Review.

• Check before you choose, on Mother's Day

  Wednesday 6 March 2013

  Treating your mum to a meal out this Mother’s Day (Sunday 10 March)? Make sure you show her you care by checking the food hygiene rating, as well as the menu, before you make a booking.

• Royal assent for Wales hygiene ratings law

  Tuesday 5 March 2013

  A new Welsh law to drive up hygiene standards in Wales' food businesses has been granted Royal Assent by Her Majesty the Queen.

• FSA notified of BSE control breaches

  Tuesday 5 March 2013

  The FSA has been notified of a series of BSE control breaches that took place last year. The risk to human health is very low as it is very unlikely that any of the animals would have been infected.

• Agency invites tenders for E.coli shedding

  Tuesday 5 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is inviting tenders to improve the understanding of the factors which lead to E.coli O157 shedding by cattle and intervention strategies for on-farm control.

• Agency invites tenders for study on shellfish

  Monday 4 March 2013

  The Food Standards Agency in Scotland is putting out a research call to review the current evidence for the use of indicator shellfish species. This will be for biotoxin and chemical contaminants monitoring in Scottish shellfish production areas.

• Consultation on new food body for Scotland

  Friday 1 March 2013

  The Scottish Government has launched a 12-week consultation seeking views on the roles, responsibilities and functions of the new food safety body that is to be established in Scotland to replace the Food Standards Agency.

• Third FSA update on testing of beef products for horse DNA

  Friday 1 March 2013

  The FSA has received the third set of test results from the food industry, which has been checking for the presence of horse DNA in products that are labelled as beef.

• Update on EU sampling programme

  Thursday 28 February 2013

  The FSA is today publishing further details of the European Union sampling programme that was agreed by member states and announced by the FSA last week.

• Research call: Trichinella in UK wildlife

  Thursday 28 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is inviting tenders to gather and assess data on Trichinella in UK wildlife, to support the UK case for risk-based monitoring of pigs at slaughter.

• Call for new research on E.coli in cattle

  Tuesday 26 February 2013

  A report, published today by the FSA in Scotland, has recommended that the use of livestock feed additives and cattle vaccines should be investigated for the control of E.coli O157 on UK farms

• FSA update on testing of beef products for horse DNA

  Friday 22 February 2013

  The FSA has received the second set of test results from the food industry, which has been checking for the presence of horse DNA in products that are labelled as beef.

• Open meeting of Scottish Food Advisory Committee

  Friday 22 February 2013

  The Scottish Food Advisory Committee of the Food Standards Agency is holding an open meeting in Aberdeen on Tuesday 26 February 2013.

• FSA Board meeting papers published

  Friday 22 February 2013

  The agenda and papers for this month's open Board meeting have been published. The meeting is being held in London on 5 March 2013. It will begin at 1pm and will be chaired by Agency Chair Jeff Rooker. You can attend in person or watch it live online.

• Scotland: frozen beef burger contains horse DNA

  Thursday 21 February 2013

  FSA is aware that North Lanarkshire Council has reported a positive result for horse DNA in a frozen beef burger that they submitted for sampling. Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the burger.

• NI cold store tests find horse meat

  Tuesday 19 February 2013

  As part of its ongoing investigation into mislabelled meat, the FSA has tested a quantity of frozen meat currently detained in a cold store on the premises of a company called Freeza Meats* in Northern Ireland, which is potentially linked to the Silvercrest factory in the Republic of Ireland.

• FSA meat testing survey expanded

  Tuesday 19 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has expanded its UK-wide survey of food authenticity in processed meat products being carried out through local authorities.

• FSA publishes industry test results on beef products

  Friday 15 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is today publishing the first set of industry results from beef products that have been tested for the presence of horse DNA.

• Update on police investigations into horse meat

  Friday 15 February 2013

  Further to the arrests made yesterday in Wales and West Yorkshire in relation to suspected fraud, there have been seizures of evidence in Hull and London.

• New appointments to the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes

  Friday 15 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).

• Arrests made at meat plants

  Thursday 14 February 2013

  Dyfed-Powys Police have today made arrests at both meat plants inspected by the Food Standards Agency on Tuesday.

• Rangeland Foods withdraws burgers due to horse meat

  Thursday 14 February 2013

  Catering supplier Rangelands Foods in the Republic of Ireland today told the Food Safety Authority of Ireland that some of its burger products contain significant levels of horse meat.

• Latest bute test results on horse carcasses

  Thursday 14 February 2013

  The Agency's most recent tests on the presence of phenylbutazone (bute) in horses slaughtered in the UK checked 206 horse carcasses between 30 January 2013 and 7 February 2013. Of these, eight tested positive for the drug.

• February issue of FSA e-News published

  Thursday 14 February 2013

  The latest issue of FSA e-News has been published and is available online. The newsletter includes news and updates on some of the Agency’s activities over the past month

• FSA raids meat plant involved in alleged supply of horse meat

  Tuesday 12 February 2013

  As part of its ongoing investigation into the mislabelling of meat products, the FSA and police today entered two meat premises, one in West Yorkshire and the other in West Wales.

• Tesco finds horse meat in some Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese

  Monday 11 February 2013

  Tesco has this evening announced that it has found horse meat in some Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese.

• FSA statement on horse testing

  Monday 11 February 2013

  Following tonight's announcement by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Owen Paterson, the Food Standards Agency has announced that it has begun a system of 'positive release' for horses slaughtered in the UK. This means that horse carcasses will require a negative phenylbutazone (bute) test before they are allowed to enter the food chain.

• FSA issues advice to public institutions on meat products

  Sunday 10 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is issuing interim advice to public institutions, such as schools and hospitals, caterers, and consumers purchasing from caterers, in the light of the developing horse meat issue.

• FSA statement from meeting on contaminated meat

  Saturday 9 February 2013

  Following today's meeting between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Food Standards Agency, and representatives from the food industry regarding the ongoing contaminated meat incident, it has been agreed that the industry will deliver meaningful results from its testing programme by Friday 15 February.

• Aldi withdraws beef products due to horse meat

  Friday 8 February 2013

  Aldi has withdrawn two beef products tonight after its tests found horse meat in samples; the Food Standards Agency has issued advice to other retailers or producers that have sourced beef products from the French company Comigel.

• FSA statement on horse meat investigation

  Friday 8 February 2013

  The FSA has, this morning, issued a further statement about the horse meat issue.

• Update on FSA and industry testing programme

  Thursday 7 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has announced it is demanding a more comprehensive meat testing programme from food businesses.

• Findus beef lasagne products found with horse meat

  Thursday 7 February 2013

  As part of its ongoing investigation into mislabelled meat, the Food Standards Agency has confirmed that the meat content of beef lasagne products recalled by Findus has tested positive for more than 60% horse meat.

• Meat testing protocol published by FSA

  Wednesday 6 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has published the protocol for the UK-wide survey of food authenticity in processed meat products. This has been drawn up in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the devolved rural affairs departments and local authorities.

• Bite magazine: the European issue

  Wednesday 6 February 2013

  The UK’s relationship with the European Union continues to hit the headlines, highlighting the debate under way on whether the EU works in the interest of its citizens. As a contribution to the discussion, the latest issue of the FSA’s Bite magazine examines the UK’s interaction with Brussels in the area of food safety.

• FSA and industry agree to publish testing programme

  Monday 4 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has agreed with the food industry to publish the results of industry testing of meat products, to provide a clearer picture of standards in the food chain. The results will also be made publicly available.

• New members sought for advisory committee

  Monday 4 February 2013

  The FSA is looking for people with expert knowlege or experience in novel biotechnology and enforcement issues, and someone with committee experience.

• FSA issues statement following Ministry of Justice announcement about non Halal meat

  Friday 1 February 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has been informed that a number of meat pies and pasties supplied to prisons in England and Wales were labelled and served as Halal but contained traces of pork DNA. The local authority is investigating how this contamination came about and whether these products have been distributed further across the UK.

• Reminder for those with food allergies

  Thursday 31 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is urging people with food allergies to always check the ingredients when eating out. This advice follows recent cases of severe and fatal allergic reactions.

• Agency publishes 2013 priorities on science and evidence

  Thursday 31 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has published its Forward Evidence Plan for 2013. The plan outlines priority science and evidence activities for the coming year, including potential areas for research funding and workshops that will help develop the Agency’s evidence base.

• ACAF open meeting 16 January 2013

  Wednesday 30 January 2013

  Stakeholders were given the opportunity to see the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs at work and to ask questions at their open meeting in Aviation House, London on 16 January 2013.

• Views wanted on sporopollenin shells

  Monday 28 January 2013

  A UK company has applied to the Food Standards Agency for approval to market sporopollenin shells from a type of plant known as clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum, as a novel food ingredient.

• Views wanted on a refined oil

  Monday 28 January 2013

  A US company has asked the FSA's expert advisers on novel foods to consider its application for a refined oil to be approved for use in the European Union under the simplified approval procedure. The oil is from a plant known as Buglossoides arvensis. A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the European Union (EU) before 15 May 1997.

• Third update on investigation into horse and pig DNA in beef products

  Friday 25 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today received the results of tests conducted on samples taken from the Dalepak plant by North Yorkshire Trading Standards.

• Bute in horse meat update

  Thursday 24 January 2013

  The Agency has updated its statement on bute in horse meat. In 2012, the FSA identified nine* cases where horses tested positive for bute. Seven were exported for the food chain.

• FSA issues statement on bute in horse meat

  Thursday 24 January 2013

  The Agency has issued a statement on bute in horse meat. Horses that have been treated with the drug phenylbutazone or 'bute' are not allowed to enter the food chain.

• Keeping norovirus at bay this winter

  Thursday 24 January 2013

  During the current norovirus outbreak, the FSA is reminding people what they can do when preparing food to minimise the likelihood of food contamination. Tackling foodborne norovirus is one of the priorities for the Agency, as part of its Foodborne Disease Strategy.

• FSA to prosecute in raw drinking milk case

  Wednesday 23 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency has confirmed its intention to prosecute Selfridges Retail Limited and the farmer who supplied the company with raw cow milk for sale, Stephen Hook, for breaches of food hygiene regulations.

• Board meeting available online

  Wednesday 23 January 2013

  Yesterday's Agency open Board meeting is now available as a video-on-demand and as a podcast. The agenda included discussion on the Annual Report from the Succession and Development Committee, the Annual Food Safety Report, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Report, and the Food Information to Consumers Regulation.

• FSA tender for 2014 Commonwealth Games emergency exercise

  Monday 21 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is inviting tenders for a Commonwealth Games emergency exercise contractor to develop and deliver, by the end of January 2014, a simulation exercise based around a food incident occurring during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The exercise will involve the relevant games-hosting local authorities and other participating organisations.

• Action taken against animal abuse in slaughterhouse

  Saturday 19 January 2013

  The FSA has been made aware of footage filmed by Hillside Animal Sanctuary and put on You Tube which showed animal welfare offences carried out by slaughtermen in a UK abattoir, High Peak Meat Exports.

• Second update on investigation into horse and pig DNA in beef products

  Friday 18 January 2013

  The retailers and UK processor that were named in the investigation by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) into horse and pig DNA in beef products have provided additional information to the Food Standards Agency.

• What do you think of our website?

  Thursday 17 January 2013

  We are carrying out a survey to find out how useful you find this website and would appreciate it if you could take the time to complete it.

• Update on investigation into horse and pig DNA in beef products

  Wednesday 16 January 2013

  As the next step in the investigation into the results of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland survey of beef products, the Food Standards Agency has met this afternoon with representatives from the food industry (producers, processors and retailers) from all parts of the UK.

• FSA investigation into horse DNA found in some burgers

  Wednesday 16 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is investigating urgently how a number of beef products on sale in the UK and Republic of Ireland came to contain some traces of horse and pig DNA.

• FSA notified of two breaches of BSE testing regulations

  Monday 14 January 2013

  There have been two separate incidents in which cattle aged over 72 months entered the food chain without being tested for BSE. The incidents involved a total of three animals.

• Latest FSA e-News published today

  Friday 11 January 2013

  The latest issue of FSA e-News has been published and is available online. The bumper newsletter includes news and updates on some of the Agency’s activities, spanning December 2012 and January this year.

• Consumer attitudes to GM labelling

  Wednesday 9 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency is today publishing the findings of research looking at consumer attitudes to the labelling of genetically modified (GM) food and the use of 'GM-free' labelling.

• Capability Review published

  Tuesday 8 January 2013

  The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently carried out a Capability Review, part of a process that is designed to lead to a Civil Service that is better at delivering public services.

• Latest research published by the FSA

  Friday 4 January 2013

  The Agency has produced a summary of its research published in November and December 2012. It includes an evaluation of cross-contamination guidance and a review of decision-making for authorised officers in local authorities.