Scotland’s new food safety agency to launch

Food Standards Scotland (FSS), a new independent agency for the country, is to launch in April.

The agency will continue the work carried out by the UK-wide Food Standards Agency and tackle nutritional health, in addition to regulating food safety in Scotland, Food Safety News reported.

In December 2014, legislation to set-up the agency was passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Food (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent early this month to bring the bill into law.

The new food bill has taken additional steps to guarantee the Scotland’s food safety in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. Last year, a beef burger from a school kitchen in North Lanarkshire tested positive for equine DNA.

The key objectives of the FSS include the protection of public from risks to health which may arise in connection with the consumption of food, improve the extent to which members of the public have diets which are conducive to good health, and protect the other interests of consumers in relation to food.

The formation of this new agecy follows UK government’s decision to transfer nutrition and food labelling in England from the Food Standards Agency to the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The food safety body will also support the Scottish food and drink industry in strengthening its international status for safe, quality food as well as support Scotland’s food and drink policy.