Meat: Our Expectations campaign continues to gain momentum
© Sergey Ryzhov/ Adobe Stock Farmers Weekly’s campaign to stamp out criminality in the meat sector continues to gain momentum, with several industry bodies agreeing to work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to explore improvements to current systems.
They include the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (Aims), the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the Food Industry Intelligence Network and Red Tractor.
See also: Exclusive: Mass food fraud and safety scandal engulfs sector
As previously reported, this group will review the scope for a single whistleblower hotline, look at how to strengthen the role of third-party audits and review the best format for the FSA to share intelligence-based alerts to warn businesses about problems in supply chains.
The first meeting of the group, established following our exclusive investigation into food safety and fraud, will take place in May, alongside a separate Farmers Weekly round-table event where we will look to build on the four recommendations made as part of the Meat: Our Expectations campaign.
Four recommendations
- Reportable Establish an independent, short-number whistleblowing line and make it a requirement for this to be clearly displayed in factories, alongside accompanying information in multiple languages
- Independent Ensure an independent body can verify how much British meat is going in and out of factories – known as the mass balance – so that dilution can be identified more easily
- Swift Address the 15-minute gap between auditors signing into a premises and entering the factory floor
- Electronic Make digital record-keeping mandatory
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Our members are fully committed to ensuring a high level of safety, quality, and integrity in the food chain.
“We support the Food Standard Agency’s review to look at improvements to the current system, including exploring a simpler, more refined hotline for whistleblowing, as well as ensuring information is shared as effectively and efficiently as possible to prevent and tackle food crime.”
Helen Sisson, director and co-chairwoman of the Food Industry Intelligence Network, said: “We are fully committed to working with the FSA and our partners in the food industry to strengthen the system.
“It is imperative that the public has confidence in UK food, and an important part of that is ensuring food crime in supply chains is identified and dealt with quickly.”
The movements come as Farmers Weekly’s deputy editor, Abi Kay, was invited to speak at Cambridge University about our investigation and its implications for traceability and transparency in the food supply chain.
The Institute for Manufacturing event will take place on 31 May and will be attended by representatives from the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and major brands such as Nestle and Branston.