FSA 3-year Corporate Plan: Our ambitions and progress indicators

Our strategy sets out our mission as food you can trust, and our vision as food is safe, food is what it says it is and food is healthier and more sustainable.

We are now setting our ambition for our mission and vision over the next 3 years.

Our ambitions 

• maintaining food you can trust: our ambition is that trust and confidence in the food system and in the FSA remain at their current, high levels
• maintaining food standards, so that food is safe and is what it says it is: our ambition is to maintain the current high levels of food safety and authenticity in the UK
• growing our contribution to and influence on food that is healthier and more sustainable: our ambition is to grow our contribution to making sure that food is healthier and more sustainable, building on the work we have started since we published our strategy 

To monitor whether our mission and vision are being delivered, we need to know what is happening in the food system. Having set our ambition for our mission and vision, we have identified progress indicators which provide an overview of whether the food system is continuing to deliver food you can trust or if there are areas needing more attention.  

The indicators draw from existing data and information provided in FSA publications such as the Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts, Annual Report on Food Standards and more detailed research reports. We will publish annual updates on our progress indicators, ensuring we are accountable to our stakeholders and the public.

Evaluating the impact the FSA has on the food system is complex, and data needs to be considered in the context of wider influences and changes on the food system. These indicators will provide a snapshot to highlight where there are changes in the food system that may need to investigate and respond to, to ensure that we continue to deliver food you can trust. 

The progress indicators under each part of the mission and vision are set out below.

Maintaining food you can trust

One of the reasons the FSA was established was to rebuild the public's trust in food safety after a series of high profile food scares in the 1980s and 90s. Food you can trust continues to be the FSA’s mission.

Our ambition is that trust and confidence in the food system and in the FSA remain at their current high levels. Trust in the food system is affected by a wide range of factors, including the decisions by food businesses the way the system is regulated and the way it is reported on. Trust in the FSA itself depends on our competence, the visibility of our work and how we act in line with consumers’ interests. 

Progress indicators on trust

FSA's Food and You 2 survey question on trust, including:

• the food we buy is safe to eat
• the information on food labels is accurate
• we can rely on the FSA to protect the public from food related risks.

Research into stakeholder trust in the FSA. 

Maintaining food that is safe and is what it says it is

The FSA’s job, set out in the Food Standards Act 1999, is to protect public health from risks arising in connection with the consumption of food and to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.

Food businesses themselves are responsible for making sure the food they produce and supply is safe and is what it says it is. Much of the FSA’s work, including many of the statutory functions we deliver, is aimed at making sure this system is working and delivering safe and authentic food in the UK. To do this, we work both directly and with partners such as local authorities.

We anticipate there will continue to be challenges for the food system over the next 3 years. Economic pressures will continue to affect consumers and businesses. Local authorities’ funding and staff shortages also present a continued risk. To continue to protect consumers, our ambition is to maintain the current high levels of food safety and authenticity in the UK. 

Progress indicators on food that is safe and is what it says it is 

• rates of foodborne disease (4 key pathogens)
• rates of business compliance (Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and meat processing establishment and dairy hygiene inspections)
• targeted sampling of food product compliance (FSA basket of goods survey)
• food incidents
• allergen related food incidents
• responses to food crime

Contributing to food that is healthier and more sustainable

To protect the interests of consumers in relation to food, we must also contribute to making food healthier and more sustainable. As the only department entirely focused on food, we will use our skills and expertise, to encourage and contribute to positive change.

In some areas we have a clearly defined role, for example, our policy responsibilities for healthier food in Northern Ireland. Beyond these defined roles we have greater discretion about how we contribute to delivering food that is healthier and more sustainable. We are working to identify how we best do this within our statutory remit and functions, for example by publishing evidence in our capacity as watchdog or contributing to cross-government projects.

In Northern Ireland we have responsibility for dietary health policy, surveillance, and nutrition labelling, composition, and standards. Whilst we do not have these responsibilities in Wales, we follow the requirements of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015, which requires public bodies in Wales to consider long-term impacts of their actions, including on health inequalities and the environment. Although we are not a named body under the Act, we work to the principles it contains. 

We also work through the 4 country frameworks, cross government processes that ensure a common approach is taken in devolved policy areas, and with a wide range of stakeholders to contribute on health and sustainability across the UK and beyond. 

Progress indicators on food that is healthier and more sustainable 

Northern Ireland

Case studies and data, including:

• the FSA's Eating Well Choosing Better programme and associated surveys
• Calorie Wise
• MenuCal

Growing our contribution

Case studies and data, for example:

• School Food Standards
• collaboration with WRAP* to reduce food waste

*The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are a registered charity who work to tackle the causes of the climate crisis. 

Food and You 2 Consumer Behaviour. 

See appendix 2 for the most recent data on the indicators. We will provide updates on these indicators each year, allowing some flexibility for the set of indicators to evolve over time.