Memorandum submitted by the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
INTRODUCTION
Information about food is relayed to consumers
by many means covering many aspects of the quality and provenance
of food. The Government's overriding objective is to ensure that
consumers are able to make well informed choices.
Within Government, responsibility for matters
relating to food safety and standards rests mainly with the Food
Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA also leads on the labelling of
food. However, Defra has an interest in these areas and works
closely with the FSA and other Government Departments on them
and related matters. Defra also has policy responsibility for
a number of other areas that have a bearing on the information
and messages that consumers receive about food. This memorandum
concentrates on Defra's role and follows the structure of the
sub-committee's terms of reference.
INFORMATION ON
THE NUTRITIONAL
CONTENT OF
FOOD
Improving consumer information will be a key
focus of the Food and Health Action Plan (FAHAP) on which the
Department of Health (DH) is about to go to consultation. The
development of this plan is a commitment in the Sustainable Farming
and Food Strategy. When implemented, it will shape, co-ordinate
and drive action to improve, through nutrition and diet, the health
of the people of England, at all stages of life.
The plan will be focussed on the nutritional
priorities of:
— increasing the consumption of fruit
and vegetables;
— increasing fibre in the diet; and
— reducing the intake of salt, fat
and sugar.
Defra has worked with DH, the FSA, the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES) and others to develop the FAHAP
proposals. The consultation will be a strand of the wider "Choosing
Health?" consultation on improving public health which DH
launched in March 2004. Both consultations will inform the production
of a White Paper on public health in summer 2004.
The proposals will include bringing key stakeholders
together to agree basic messages about nutrition and health and
developing and implementing a communications strategy to ensure
that consumers get the balanced information they need to make
choices about what they eat.
FOOD SAFETY
In the area of pesticide and veterinary medicine
residues in food, Defra's responsibilities complement FSA's wide
ranging role on food safety. Defra's role on pesticides encompasses
the assessment of risks to workers, the environment and consumers.
On the latter aspect we work closely with the FSA.
The Government currently spends £2.2 million
per year on a nationwide programme of pesticide residues surveillance
in food and drink. Such a programme has been in existence since
the 1970s and forms part of the statutory controls relating to
the approval of pesticides.
In 2000 an independent non departmental government
body, the Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), was established
to oversee the surveillance programme. In part this was to ensure
that the findings were made available to consumers and the
food and farming industries in a way which is comprehensive, understandable
and timely.
Since the establishment of the PRC there have
been many improvements in the way that information on pesticide
residues is made available to consumers. Instead of one annual
lengthy technical report, reports are now made available quarterly
on the PRC web-site. In addition a more user friendly summary
of the information is published as an annual report of key findings
and the PRC hold a public meeting each year.
More recently, the PRC website has been re-designed
and a new web-site can be found at prc-uk.org. A new leaflet specifically
for consumers called "Pesticide residues in food—facts
not fiction" will be launched in May.
Defra's role on veterinary medicines encompasses
the assessment of risks to the target species, the person administering
the medicine, the environment and consumers. On the latter aspect
we work closely with the FSA.
Veterinary medicines residues surveillance is
carried out under two programmes. The larger statutory programme
meets the requirements of EU legislation. The annual costs of
£3.7m are met by industry. The Government spends £1.1m
on a complementary programme looking principally at imported produce.
In 2001 an independent advisory committee, the
Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC), was established to advise
the Chief Executives of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
and FSA on the surveillance programmes.
Information on veterinary residues, including
all test results and follow-up actions, is published on the VMD
website and in the VMD's quarterly newsletter. The VRC publishes
its papers and minutes on its own website and produces an annual
report explaining the process and commenting on the positive results
found, in a user friendly way. The VRC will hold its first public
meeting later this year.
In the animal health area, Defra works closely
with the FSA and with other interested departments and organisations
on animal diseases such as BSE which have implications for food
safety. Defra is responsible for the animal health aspects of
these diseases, and the FSA is responsible for the food safety
aspects.
MEANS OF
PRODUCTION AND
PRODUCTION STANDARDS
Eggs and poultry
EU egg and poultrymeat marketing legislation
sets down optional indications of certain alternative farming
methods, referred to as Special Marketing Terms. These specify
criteria such as stocking densities, etc which must be met before
claims about certain types of farming, eg "free range",
can be made. The Government supports the operation of these standards
as they protect the consumer by setting high uniform standards
and provide informative labelling.
Beef
EU rules on origin labelling for fresh, chilled
and frozen beef and veal were introduced in 1996 during the BSE
crisis with a view to ensuring public health and increasing consumer
confidence in beef. Regulations 1760/2000 and 1825/2000 require
beef to be labelled with a traceability reference code, the countries
in which the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, and in which
the meat was cut. The label must also show the approval numbers
of abattoirs and cutting plants. There is a limited derogation
for minced beef.
The regulations require operators in the beef
supply chain to maintain traceability systems to support their
labelling claims. They also provide for operators to make voluntary
labelling claims; these require prior approval by the Competent
Authority and are subject to independent third party verification.
In the UK voluntary claims are administered under the Beef Labelling
Scheme.
EU marketing standards for fresh fruit and vegetables
EU marketing standards exist for a wide range
of fresh produce. Their objectives are to keep products of unsatisfactory
quality off the market; to ensure that produce is accurately labelled;
to guide production to meet consumer requirements and to facilitate
fair trade under fair conditions. The standards also provide consumer
protection in a sector where many products are highly perishable
and serious defects can develop rapidly.
EU marketing standards generally apply at all
stages of the distribution chain, including retail, and at all
such stages there must be clearly visible information about the
produce. At the retail stage this must include the nature of produce,
its quality (eg class I or II), its country of origin and, where
applicable, the variety name. At point of sale, this information
can be given in a number of different ways: for example, as a
printed label on pre-packed produce, or a shelf label or display
card for loose produce. (Further information on the standards
and their enforcement is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/hort/hmi.htm)
GM Foods
Defra and the FSA have been working together
on the development of the EU Regulations on the traceability and
labelling of GM food and animal feed. These rules require labelling
of all GM food and feed products, including those derived from
GM organisms. They aim to improve consumer information by extending
labelling requirements, lowering thresholds and heightening requirements
on the retention of records throughout the supply chain. Defra
and the FSA held joint stakeholder meetings on the implementation
of these new regulations last autumn and launched a joint consultation
exercise on guidance in March.
Organic Food
Organic standards in the UK are based on the
EC standards set out under Council Regulation 2092/91 (as amended).
The UK standards differ slightly in that they are stricter in
some areas, mainly in relation to livestock standards, in which
member states have discretion.
The use of the term "organic" on food
is strictly controlled. Anyone wanting to produce, prepare, import
and, from 1 July 2005, store organic food will need to be registered
by an approved Certification Body and subject to an annual inspection
by them. The licensee must demonstrate that the produce has been
produced to at least the UK national standards, or if it is an
import from outside the EC, to at least to the EC standards.
Defra publishes on its website a large amount
of information on organic food and farming, including standards
and the environmental and other sustainability benefits of organic
production methods. We and the other UK rural affairs departments
have each published Action Plans to develop organic food and farming.
At EU level a European Action Plan is under development to complement
national initiatives with particular emphasis on improving distribution
networks and information for consumers.
Assured produce
Assurance schemes provide consumers with information
about the way that food is produced, as well as a reassurance
that certain standards have been met. The main baseline schemes
use the Red Tractor logo which is administered by Assured Food
Standards (AFS), though some also have their own logos, as do
the higher tier schemes such as Freedom Food and LEAF. Most schemes
also have websites which give details of the standards that their
members have to observe.
The Government believes that assurance schemes
have helped to re-establish consumer confidence in the safety
of British food and can help to distinguish products on the market
place. Although the schemes are privately owned and operated Defra
has actively encouraged their development, including the introduction
of new governance arrangements for AFS and support to help it
rationalise schemes and develop a marketing and communications
strategy.
If assurance is to continue to be relevant to
consumers it is important that scheme standards are both credible
and realistic, and that the way that they are set and monitored
is transparent. We therefore support the guidance on assurance
that the FSA issued following its review of assurance schemes.
EU protected food names scheme
EU legislation provides for a system for the
protection of food names that have an established link to a geographical
area or are based on traditional recipes. Names that have been
granted protection can only be used within the Community for products
that have been produced within a defined area to an agreed specification.
Producers of such foods are subject to regular inspection by accredited
certification bodies to ensure conformity with the registered
specification. Registered products are entitled to carry an EU
symbol that can help consumers recognise the product as traditional
and authentic.
Thirty five UK products have been registered
under the scheme including Cornish Clotted Cream, Stilton Cheese
and Arbroath Smokies.
Local food
There is an increasing interest among consumers
and retailers in local foods. In developing our policy on local
foods we found that there are differing views on how the term
"local" should be defined. We have discussed this with
the FSA who are considering the possibility of producing guidelines
on the use of the term.
Farm shops and farmers' markets represent an
important outlet for locally produced food. They also enable consumers
to deal directly with producers and, in doing so, provide an opportunity
to learn more about the way that food is produced. Defra sees
the growth of the farmers market movement as a positive development.
We have been actively supporting the work of the National Association
of Farmers' Markets and its successor, the National Farmers' Retail
and Markets Association.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations concerning issues such
animal welfare, the environment and labour standards underlie
a range of products and schemes. Defra has been working with DFID,
which provides financial support to the Ethical Trading Initiative
(ETI), and the DTI to encourage food and drink companies to observe
ethical standards in international supply chains such as coffee.
We have also been working with a broad group
of businesses and organisations in the food supply chain, brought
together by the ETI, to trial a Code of Practice for labour providers
in the fresh produce sector. The Code sets a standard for how
professional labour provider businesses can operate within the
law. Retailers, who have an important role to play in promoting
ethical practices at all stages in the food chain, have been closely
involved with the preparation of this code.
The Government is supporting Jim Sheridan MP's
Gangmaster (Licensing) Private Members Bill. This Bill will require
all agricultural labour providers to be licensed. The retailers
support this initiative and will be able to reinforce its provisions
through their involvement with the food chain.
Information about the systems used to raise
animals for food is widely used and some descriptions, such as
those on eggs and poultry that are referred to earlier in this
memorandum, have a legal base. The best known example is probably
free range egg production. Such information can be used by consumers
as a basis for their buying decisions. But the production system
alone is not a reliable indicator of animal welfare. Welfare also
depends crucially on the way in which the animals are managed
and that cannot readily be described on a label.
WTO
The WTO trade round negotiations (the "Doha
Development Agenda") primarily concern trade liberalisation,
with a special emphasis on development issues. Nevertheless, in
the context of negotiating a new Agreement on Agriculture (an
essential part of the round), the European Commission has sought
to introduce the concept of mandatory labelling of food products
by proposing the inclusion of an authoritative interpretation
of Article 2.2 to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
This Article concerns the mis-use of technical regulations as
an unnecessary obstacle to international trade.
The proposed interpretation would grant WTO
members the right to choose the level of consumer information
and protection they deem appropriate with regard to the characteristics,
production and processing methods of agricultural products. In
pursuance of this, the mandatory labelling schemes would be presumed
not to create an unnecessary obstacle to international trade.
So far the proposal has been met with almost unanimous rejection
by other WTO members, who see it as an attempt by the EU to introduce
further protectionism through the back-door.
SUPPORT FOR
THE PROMOTION
OF INFORMATION
ABOUT FOOD
EU regulations for the promotion of agricultural
products
Defra administers EU Commission Regulation 2826/2000
which provides for the joint funding of generic information campaigns
for certain agricultural products and food quality schemes. The
qualifying themes include information about protected food names,
organic farming, agricultural production systems that guarantee
product traceability, the quality and safety of food and its nutritional
and health benefits, and the EU code printed on eggs.
Proposals should normally be tri-partite funded
by the Commission, the organisation running the campaign and the
Member State in whose territory the campaign is taking place.
The most recent UK campaigns approved by the Commission focus
on the promotion of organic produce, milk in schools and information
about meat.
Rural enterprise scheme
Among other things, the Rural Enterprise Scheme
can help provide support towards projects that involve the marketing
of quality agricultural products. This can include start-up costs
for projects that promote to customers the benefits of particular
production processes, eg organic, and the development of regional
or local branding.
EDUCATING THE
PUBLIC ABOUT
FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE
Farming and countryside education
Defra works closely with Farming and Countryside
Education (FACE). FACE was set up by the National Farmers' Union
and the Royal Agricultural Society (RASE) in 2001 with the aim
to increase the number of school children who visit farms. It
helps teachers and school children understand food, farming and
the countryside through the use of class visits to farms and horticultural
nurseries and through farmer visits to schools. More information
on FACE can be accessed at www.face-online.org.uk
As part of its work, FACE commissioned jointly
with the DfES and the Countryside Agency research on young people's
views on and understanding of food, farming and land management.
The research was undertaken by King's College, London and the
National Federation for Education and Research. A copy of its
report "Improving the Understanding of Food, Farming and
Land-Management Amongst School-age Children: A Literature Review"
can be found on the DfES research website at www.dfes.gov/research.
FACE has also produced, in partnership with
the Environment Agency, a video and DVD "Questioning the
food you eat" to support the teaching of geography, science
and citizenship at Key Stages 2 and 3. The video and DVD consists
of short clips featuring experts who have diverse opinions about
food and farming issues. These can be used individually or together
to stimulate discussion within the classroom. "Questioning
the Food you Eat", which is free, is proving to be very popular
with schools and more copies are having to be produced in order
to meet demand.
National advisory group for growing schools
Defra is also represented on the National Advisory
Group for Growing Schools, a Government initiative funded by DfES.
Among other things, Growing Schools aims to raise awareness of
the rural sector, of food and where it comes from, of farming
and agriculture, of countryside issues and healthy lifestyles,
and about increasing understanding and responsibility for the
environment. The programme has been running since September 2001
and Defra have been actively involved in its development from
the beginning. The new Growing Schools website, due to be launched
imminently on Teachernet (www.teachernet.gov.uk/growingschools),
will provide access for teachers and providers to the vast education
resource that exists in this sector. The Countryside Stewardship
educational access site details (see below) will be incorporated
into this new website.
Countryside stewardship educational access
Countryside Stewardship is a Defra scheme which
offers payments to farmers and other land managers to enhance
and conserve English landscapes, their wildlife and history, and
to help people to enjoy them. The educational access option promotes
the use, enjoyment and study of the countryside by schools, colleges,
and groups for life-long learning. Stewardship agreement holders
with educational access make arrangements with local schools or
groups to visit the farm for learning purposes.
There are currently over 800 sites available
to visit throughout England, details of which are available on
the educational opportunities section of the Stewardship access
website at http://countrywalks.defra.gov.uk. Each site offering
school visits has a teacher's information pack which explains
what is available on the farm, the facilities available, and suggests
activities and educational opportunities. The pack was updated
in 2003, with a new version being produced in association with
FACE. This shows how farm visits can link to a range of national
curriculum subjects, and how farming links to a range of services,
including food production.
Access to farms partnership
Countryside Stewardship is represented on the
Access to Farms (ATF) Partnership which brings together various
organisations (including Countryside Agency, DfES, FACE, Groundwork,
NFU, Countryside Foundation for Education etc) that provide farm
visits for schools. ATF meets several times a year to discuss
various initiatives, and to co-ordinate promotion of school visits.
A number of agreement holders are also currently involved in a
pilot for a voluntary accreditation scheme for farmers providing
school visits being run by the Countryside Agency. If successful,
we are likely to recommend accreditation to our agreement holders.
Role of the levy boards
The statutory agriculture and horticulture levy
boards also produce information about the food produced by the
sectors they cover. This can range from the general to the specific
depending on the foodstuff in question, and the specific approaches
taken by the different Boards to meet identified needs.
28 April 2004
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