The Food Standards Agency

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was established in April 2000 to protect the health of the public in relation to food. It develops policies on food safety and other food issues and provides practical advice, information and assistance to all interested parties including the food industry, enforcers and consumers.

The FSA works closely with local authority trading standards and environmental health departments to ensure that food we eat is safe. Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP’s), sometimes also called Environmental Health Officers, have wide-ranging powers to maintain high standards of food hygiene in food businesses in their district. Your local EHP is there to uphold and enforce the law but also to offer advice and guidance to those in the food industry.

The FSA are also involved with:

• Policy development and providing advice and information to Ministers and other public bodies.
• Provision of advice and information to the public.
• Commissioning research and surveillance.
• Setting standards for and monitoring food law enforcement.
• Food hygiene – micro-biological safety.
• Chemical Safety.
• Genetically Modified (GM) foods.
• Radiological safety.
• Animal feed.
• Food standards – including labelling.
• Nutrition.