Food Standards Scotland is set to start on April 1. The Food (Scotland) Bill to set up the stand-alone body passed the Scottish Parliament in early December and received Royal Assent — meaning that the queen formally agrees to make the bill into law — on Jan. 13. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) will take over the work of the UK-wide Food Standards Agency’s division in Scotland and will tackle nutritional health, in addition to regulating food safety. “Attaining Royal Assent was the final hurdle in the primary legislation process towards a new food body for Scotland and marks the end of a mammoth task,” wrote Fiona Comrie on the Creating a New Food Body project blog. Plans for the new agency arose after the UK government transferred nutrition and food labeling in England from the Food Standards Agency to the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Scottish Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said the changes in England “removed significant capacity” in the agency’s nutrition and labeling functions for Scotland and needed to be addressed. It is estimated that foodborne illness affects about 132,000 Scots each year, resulting in 2,330 hospitalizations, 50 deaths, and £140 million in costs. The profile of foodborne disease varies across the UK, with higher rates of particular illnesses reported in the Scottish population compared to other countries. For example, E. coli O157 is consistently reported more frequently in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
A year after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. encouraged food companies to voluntarily phase out their use of synthetic dyes, little action has been taken.
According
Chinese authorities have issued penalties against seven e-commerce platforms for violations including food safety.
The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) imposed fines for a series of "ghost kitchen&
Federal law allows food companies to use chemicals designated as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) without having them subject to review by the Food and Drug Administration. The New York law would help close that loophole.
An agency in the Isle of Man has been told to look again at a food hygiene request after initially refusing to release information.
The Information Commissioner upheld a complaint
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting that Ayco Farms Inc., recalled 8,302 cartons of whole cantaloupes because the fruit may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The cantaloupes
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
On April 10 the Washington State Department of Health advised the FDA of a recall of certain shellfish because of norovirus-like illnesses associated with consumption of raw oysters.
The recall
