§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what(a) action the Food Standards Agency is taking and (b) advice the Food Standards Agency have issued to counter the threat from terrorism to food safety in the United Kingdom. [104908]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 25 March 2003]The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will take the lead role in managing the consequences of any actual incident of food contamination. The FSA already undertakes such work in respect of the several hundred relatively minor accidental and adventitious environmental food contamination incidents that occur each year, ensuring that contaminated food does not reach the public. The FSA regularly exercises its response to major incidents.
With the agreement of other Departments, the FSA reminded the food industry in November 2002 of the importance of maintaining vigilance against potential malicious attacks on the food supply. This was a general reminder rather than a response to any new intelligence suggesting a specific threat. This advice remains current.