Minister wants European food testing overhaul
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has called for a Europe-wide overhaul of food testing in the wake of the horse meat scandal.
The current system relies too heavily on trusting paperwork that comes with meat shipments, Mr Paterson told Sky News' Murnaghan programme.
He spoke as the chief executive of one supermarket traded criticism with the Local Government Association after accusing councils of helping drive down the quality of food used in public sector contracts.
Mr Paterson said: "The whole problem we have is that the system... which is laid down from above trusts the paperwork.
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"So it trusts that the pallet conforms to the piece of paper.
"No-one checks what is on the pallet often enough, no-one checks what is in production often enough, no-one checks the finished product often enough.
"We have agreed in this particular issue there will be Europe-wide testing for horse DNA, there will be Europe-wide testing for bute, which is a major advance. When this is through, I want to have a proper look at the whole system."
Mr Paterson has also asked the Food Standards Agency to investigate claims that ministers were warned in 2011 that horse meat was illegally entering the human food chain.
8 Comments
by Bob491
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 2:05PM
“Quote: 'No individual or company should be allowed to donate more than £1,000 per year.'
Trade Union members pay individually and I can't imagine it's more than £1,000 a year. But allowing companies to donate £millions in order to control and dictate Con government policy ends the UK's right to be considered a democratic country.”
by democrat
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 1:56PM
“Bob
'No individual or company should be allowed to donate more than £1,000 per year'
I agree - of course the Trade Unions would have to be included to prevent them controlling public policy as they have been doing for too many years”
by Bob491
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 11:54AM
“Your 'bunch of idiots' ie the dithering, U turning, incompetent Con government, cut the number of Food Standards Agency investigators by almost 50% to hobble it from investigating food scandals. Fortunately this current scandal was discovered by the Irish FSA and the much maligned EU is taking the lead while our Con government dithers. It has nothing whatever to do with the last Labour government, which incidentally I never voted for.
There are other well known food scandals - far too many food products contain surprisingly large amounts of salt, sugar, fat and other unhealthy additives which many irresponsible manufacturers don't like labelling correctly; surprise, surprise.
Will the Con government do anything about it - not while many food companies donate £millions to the Con party they won't. No individual or company should be allowed to donate more than £1,000 per year to political parties to prevent them controlling and dictating party policy on such matters.
The horse meat scandal is only the tip of the iceberg.”
by disident3
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 9:25AM
“No more idiotic than blaming this bunch of idiots for what the labour Government did.”
by Bob491
Monday, February 18 2013, 11:14PM
“Quote: "So Bob491 you are guaranteeing nothing like this happened under the Labour Government."
What an idiotic comment!”
by disident3
Monday, February 18 2013, 6:32PM
“So Bob491 you are guaranteeing nothing like this happened under the Labour Government. Then you admit that the 100% Food standard investigators failed to find any horse meat. So losing 50% would make little or no difference. I do note no mention of any horses finding their way into the House of Plenty food chain, strange that.”
by democrat
Monday, February 18 2013, 1:16PM
“The Labour Government created two regulatory bodies called the FSA.
Seems like both were not up to task. Thankfully the Financial Services Authority is being wound down. What next for the Food Standards Agency?”
by Bob491
Monday, February 18 2013, 12:22PM
“This incompetent Con government needs to U turn on its disastrous nearly 50% cut to the number of Food Standards Agency investigators.
We need many more of them not loads less to ensure good standards of food in the future.
The horse meat scandal is only the tip of the iceberg.”