§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility the Food Standards Agency will have for the health aspects of nutrition. [99282]
§ Yvette CooperThe division of responsibilities for nutrition between the Food Standards Agency and Hearth departments is set out in chapter 5 of the White Paper "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change", copies of which are available in the Library.
The White paper states:
The Government propose that the agency will:
66Wbe responsible for monitoring and surveillance of the nutrient content of food and the nutrient content of the diet,provide authoritative factual information about the nutrient content of individual foods and advice on the diet as a whole,secure expert scientific advice on the relationship between diet, nutritional status and health to support the definition of a healthy diet and to inform policy from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA)1,provide the definition of a balanced diet, based on COMA'S1 scientific advice, for subsequent use in health education material produced by other bodies,where appropriate, propose legislation relating to nutritional aspects of food, including labelling and claims, dietary supplements sold as food, fortified foods and functional foods,provide practical guidance in relation to nutritional aspects of the food chain, including production and catering,commission food and diet research appropriate to the functions of the agency,represent the United Kingdom in international negotiations on issues relating to nutritional aspects of food,formulate policy and provide advice to Ministers on these issues.The agency will share with Health departments responsibility for:
providing the joint secretariat to the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA)1. (COMA1 will advise Health departments and the agency),surveillance of the nutritional status of people,defining the health education message on nutritional issues, taking account of both food and wider health issues,policy formulation and advice to Ministers on these issues, for example in relation to Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, and public health aspects of food fortification.Health departments will retain responsibility for:
wider public health policy issues including conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis or obesity) where nutritional status is one of a number of risk factors,consideration of vulnerable groups and inequalities issues,health education on wider behavioural issues which may include but go beyond nutrition (such as smoking, drinking, physical activity),all links with the NHS and health professionals, breastfeeding promotion in the NHS, clinical nutrition and dietetics including hospital catering and nutritional therapy,dietary supplements which are controlled by the Medicines Act (through the Medicines Control Agency),health surveillance of the population,and international negotiations on health matters.1The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) will be succeeding the current advisory Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA).