§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the countries in which officials of the Food Standards Agency have conducted investigations into the safety of food destined for British markets. [150242]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 13 February 2001]: Primary responsibility for the safety of food rests with the national competent authority of each country, whether a member state of the European Community or a third country. It is the responsibility of each individual country to ensure that food exported to the United Kingdom complies with both national and European Union food safety requirements The EC, and not the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, has competence for monitoring and, where appropriate, investigating issues of compliance with EU food safety law, both in third countries exporting food to the European market and in member states producing food for trade within the EC.