Future arrangements to secure food standards and safety in Scotland
written review of the Food Standards Agency Scotland functions
Chapter 2 - Food and Health - The Challenges
7. Introduction
7.1 The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the many challenges Scotland faces regarding the poor health of the population associated with diet and also to reflect on the importance of protecting consumers from foodborne disease. The challenges faced by Scotland are similar, but in some cases, more pronounced than those faced in other parts of the UK. It is important to highlight these so that the relevance of the FSA acting in Scotland's interest can be understood.
8. Food and Health
8.1 The food that we consume has a significant impact on our health. The importance of eating a healthy balanced diet has long been recognised, with Scotland setting dietary targets in 1996. The dietary goals re-affirmed in the National Food and Drink Policy[6] are appropriate targets at a population level for achieving nutritional balance and protecting health across a broad range of risk factors in the long term.
8.2 Recent analysis[7] published by FSA Scotland showed that slow progress is being made in reducing the population's intake of saturated fat, total fat and added sugars, according to Scotland's ongoing dietary monitoring programme. The most recent programme report found that the intake of these nutrients continues to be considerably higher than the Scottish dietary targets and that while the estimated consumption of fruit, wholemeal bread and high fibre breakfast cereals increased between 2001 and 2009, there were only very small reductions in saturated fat and added sugar intake. There was no reduction in total fat intake. This has serious consequences for Scotland's health.
8.3 Scotland has one of the highest levels of obesity in OECD countries[8]. There has been a steady increase in the proportion of adults who are overweight or obese since the first Scottish Health Survey[9] in 1995. Between 1995 and 2010, the proportion of adults aged 16-64 who were overweight or obese increased from 52.4% to 63.3%. The proportion of men and women who are obese, not just overweight, increased from 17.2% to 27.4%. Most of these changes have occurred between 1995 and 2008 and it is possible that the rate of increase may be slowing.
8.4 As well as a personal cost to the individual, the Scottish Government estimates that the total cost of obesity to Scotland was £0.5 billion, and that by 2030 if current trends were maintained, the cost to Scotland could be as high as £3 billion.
8.5 Obesity has a direct impact on individuals by increasing their risk of disease. Some of the common conditions partly attributable to obesity (all ages)[10]are listed below.
| Condition | Attributable Fraction |
|---|---|
|
36% |
|
47% |
|
15% |
|
18% |
|
12% |
|
6% |
|
29% |
|
13% |
|
14% |
8.6 The Scottish Government published the Preventing Obesity Route Map in 2010[11] which described a wide range of actions to tackle this problem. A key component of the Route Map is the actions to tackle the over‑consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar. A new Scottish Reformulation Working Group in support of the Route Map has been established with industry partners and chaired by FSA Scotland, at the request of Scottish Ministers. An early priority for this Group is to reduce the calorie and salt content of products and build on the positive steps industry has made in the last few years on the promotion of healthier, less energy dense food.
8.7 Scotland has always operated a separate set of arrangements in regard to public policies on diet and health. In a number of cases FSA Scotland has customised UK wide campaigns on specific health issues in order to meet the specific needs and priorities in Scotland. Scottish Ministers have stated that they expect the FSA in Scotland to continue to have a key role to play in supporting the Scottish Government and wider public and private sector to deliver the aims set out in Recipe for Success and Preventing Obesity Route Map (2010).
9. Food Safety
9.1 The FSA deals with a broad range of food safety issues - from microbiological safety to radiological safety, allergens and risk from chemical contaminants and novel foods and processes. In 2010 the FSA investigated 1,505 incidents in the UK. Where needed, action was taken to ensure consumers were protected from eating unsafe food (FSA Annual Report of Incidents 2010). Incidents fall broadly into two categories
- Incidents involving contamination of food or animal feed in the processing, distribution, retail and catering chains. These incidents may result in action to withdraw the food from sale and, in certain circumstances, to recall, alerting the public not to consume potentially contaminated food.
- Environmental pollution incidents, for example chemical/oil spills, radiation leaks, which may involve voluntary or statutory action such as orders made under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985.
10. Foodborne illness
10.1 Foodborne disease is a major cause of illness in the Scottish population. Although the majority of cases are mild, they are unpleasant and uncomfortable and place a significant demand on healthcare services. There have been no specific studies to establish the true burden of foodborne illness in Scotland. However, it is estimated that each year in Scotland:
- around a 132,000 people suffer a foodborne illness
- around 2,330 people receive hospital treatment due to foodborne illness
- there are around 50 deaths caused by foodborne illness
- it costs nearly £140 million.
10.2 Since the FSA was formed in 2000, there has been a reduction in the level of foodborne disease caused by some pathogens. The majority of foodborne illness is preventable and there is scope to reduce levels of disease. The FSA's renewed Foodborne Disease Strategy[12] aims to tackle this by targeting the pathogens that have been identified as causing the greatest burden of disease. Food chain analysis shows that the pathogens whose reduction and control offer the greatest potential for public health gains are:
- Campylobacter (which causes most cases of food poisoning)
- Listeria monocytogenes (causes the most food poisoning
deaths) - viruses (responsible for an increasing number of cases)
10.3 In Scotland the pathogen E.coli O157 is consistently reported more frequently than in the rest of the UK with around 250 cases seen annually. An outbreak of E.coli O157 can have devastating effects as seen in the Lanarkshire outbreak of 1996 which resulted in 18 deaths.
10.4 The FSA's strategy is based on a farm-to-fork approach, with the aim of reducing contamination of foods during production and processing and of promoting good food hygiene practice in the kitchen, both commercially and in the home.
Figure 1: Culture positive E. coli O157 cases: Rates per 100,000 population, 1984-2010
10.5 The FSA, along with other public agencies and the industry have a role in protecting consumers from foodborne disease, and have to ensure that appropriate cross-border arrangements are in place to handle such incidents.
11. Food Fraud
11.1 Food fraud is committed when food is deliberately placed on the market, for financial gain, with the intention of deceiving the consumer. Although there are many kinds of food fraud the two main types are:
- the sale of food which is unfit and potentially harmful, such as:
- recycling of animal by-products back into the food chain
- packing and selling of beef and poultry with an unknown origin
- knowingly selling goods which are past their use by date
- the deliberate mis-description of food, whilst not necessarily unsafe, deceives the consumer as to the nature of the product, such as:
- products substituted with a cheaper alternative, for example, farmed salmon sold as wild, and Basmati rice adulterated with cheaper varieties
- making false statements about the source of ingredients, i.e. their geographic, plant or animal origin
11.2 It is essential that there remains a strong focus on preventing food fraud in the current economic climate. The Food Standards Agency takes the issue of food fraud very seriously and although it does not believe that there is a significant problem in the UK, when it does occur, the Agency has a responsibility to protect the consumer. In Scotland, the Incidents Team within the Enforcement Branch manages and co-ordinates the response to food fraud. The Agency does not directly undertake investigations into food fraud (apart from within FSA approved abattoirs and cutting plants), but provides support, through a number of resources, to Local Authorities whose food enforcement officers have front line responsibility for enforcement of food fraud.
12. Emerging challenges
12.1 Food safety and standards in Scotland also need to be seen in the context of a complex global food supply chain. This means that risks in one part of the world have the potential to affect Scottish consumers. It is important that future delivery mechanisms in Scotland are alert to and can respond to emerging risks - whether as a result of climate change which may introduce new pathogens for example, new hazards introduced because of illegal practices along the food chain or because of the use of new technologies that raise new risks for example. It is also important that they are able to take account of consumers' concerns.
12.2 Some issues will raise a mix of food safety, social, ethical and consumer choice issues as has been seen in the case of GM for example - and which is an issue for other new technologies such as cloning and nanotechnologies.
12.3 Currently the UK Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP), a non-statutory independent body of scientific experts, advises the FSA on any matters relating to novel foods (including genetically modified foods) and novel processes (including food irradiation). The Committee carries out safety assessments of any novel food or process submitted for approval under the EC novel food regulation. GM foods are now subject to approval under a separate regulation. Approval of GM foods now involves centralised risk assessments, which are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The revision of the novel foods regulation now scheduled for 2013 will extend this approach to all novel foods.
12.4 The Panel noted that the Scottish Government and UK Government have taken different views on whether or not the risks of GM foods outweigh the benefits - although no crops have yet been grown commercially in the UK.
13. Conclusion
13.1 There are a number of major challenges facing Scotland not least the problems associated with obesity, the poor diet and consequent diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. Outbreaks of foodborne zoonoses such as campylobacter are higher in Scotland as is the number of E.coli infections.
13.2 How the problem of obesity and diet related illness are tackled in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK is subject to the political direction set out by the respective Governments. Scotland already has the flexibility to take a different approach but this is dependant on continuing to have access to evidence based advice.
13.3 Maintenance of standards and food safety and ability of consumers to make informed choices is of benefit to the development of the food industry. It is important for Scotland to react quickly to new developments and to new markets as part of the economic recovery particularly where this can be linked to the promotion and consumption of healthier diets. To do this will need adequate resources and an agency that can act quickly and effectively.
13.4 On other issues Scottish Ministers need to maintain a level of understanding that the complex array of activities in and around food are sufficient to ensure that consumer, industry and other stakeholders have confidence that Scotland's public wellbeing and also economic health are not only maintained but enhanced.
Contact
Email: Heather Curran
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