Update on the action plan to implement the recommendations of the Waste Food task Force

Monday 6 September 2004

The Waste Food Task Force was established in December 2001 as part of the Agency's initial seven point action plan on the diversion of unfit food into the food chain.

The Task Force, which was made up of experts from enforcement, industry and consumer backgrounds, reviewed in particular the effectiveness of controls on the safe disposal of animal by-products (i.e. meat not fit or intended for human consumption).

The Task Force made 24 recommendations in its report, aimed variously at the Agency, the Agriculture Departments and at industry.

The Agency immediately published the report, and an extensive consultation exercise on its recommendations was carried out across the UK between 22 January and 17 April 2003. The responses showed a strong support both for the recommendations of the Task Force and for the work of the Agency in this area. As a result an action plan was designed to take forward the 24 recommendations. This was approved by the Board on 11 September 2003 (PAPER FSA 03/09/02).

It was also agreed that the Board would receive an interim progress report on the action plan now, by means of this information paper, prior to a further paper in March 2005 by which time all the actions in the action plan are expected to have been completed. The paper in March 2005 will review the effectiveness of the completed action plan as a whole in the light of (a) any incidents that have occurred, (b) the outcome of enforcement action taken, and (c) any intelligence gathered from stakeholders in the field.

The Board in September 2003 also agreed that the Agency should host a seminar with key stakeholders involved in the Operation Aberdeen investigation into the large scale diversion of unfit poultry meat into the food chain, in order to look at the lessons to be learned. This seminar took place on 26 November 2003 and as a result of this a number of actions were agreed alongside those already proposed in the action plan (PAPER INFO 03/12/02).