Archive for December, 2007

The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the publics health and consumer interests in relation to food.

The Agency is both a Government department, an independent regulator and a consumer protection body.

They work with business ‘from farm to fork’ to help them keep consumers safe, with local authorities and other food law enforcement bodies to help them take proportionate, timely and resolute action and with consumers to provide reliable and up to date information to help us all make healthy choices about food.

It is the Food Standards Agency that constructed the Food Traffic Light System now on many food items.

They also issue regular allergy alerts and details of product withdrawals due to incorrect labelling or contents. Surprisingly there are quite a regular stream of these. Over the last two days alone they have issued alerts on

• Asda withdrawing cans of its Chicken Noodle Soup because they have been labelled as Scotch Broth and therefore contain egg, which is not shown on the label. This makes the product a potential health risk for people who are allergic or intolerant to eggs.
• Green & Black’s recall of a batch of its ‘The Assortment’ boxed chocolates because of water damage during storage resulting in mould growth on the surface of chocolates.
• New Ivory recall of its own-brand Poultry Gravy due to a labelling error which means that it contains butter that is not mentioned in the ingredients list.
• Waitrose has recalled a batch of its own-brand Shortcrust Mince Pies because there could be pieces of plastic in the product.
• an updated Allergy Alert in relation to a recall by Bart Spices Ltd of a batch of its Bart Coconut Cream (200ml) containing milk that is not declared in the ingredients list. The two affected batches are unsuitable for people with a milk allergy and they are advised not to eat this product.