CFG
17/02
Letter from Foodaware
dated 4 April 2003 to Rosemary Hignett, Food Labelling Division, Food
Standards Agency:
Dear Rosemary
Draft FSA position document based on a review of Food Assurance
Schemes
Foodaware; the Consumers’ Food Group, has been set up to coordinate
the wider UK consumer movement’s work on food safety, nutrition
and standards. Our mission is to give UK consumers a strong voice
on food policy by bringing together the organisations that represent
them. We also consult and support the UK consumer representatives
on food related committees, and further the public understanding of
science.
Thank you for inviting Foodaware’s comments on the above position
document. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this much needed
review of Food Assurance Schemes.
Consumers generally believe that they are not given enough information
about their food in order to make properly informed choices. They
are increasingly interested in production methods and how their food
is produced. In addition to wanting food that is safe, nutritious
and cheap, many want food that has been produced with due regard for
the environment and to high animal welfare standards. They want meaningful
and useful information about all these aspects.
Foodaware believes that food assurance schemes should cover methods
and practices that go beyond simple compliance with existing laws
on safety, environmental protection and animal welfare etc. The standards
on which they are based should be over and above baseline legal requirements.
Consumers also need to be confident that compliance with standards
is being effectively monitored and policed and that there are meaningful
penalties for non-compliance. For example, each scheme should publish
regular updates, including an Annual Report, available in hard copy
and on the web, reporting on compliance, membership figures, any changes
to the standards and action taken where breaches have been found,
including naming specific companies.
While assurance schemes should be able to play a part in providing
consumers with the information they want, their record to date has
been poor. The proliferation of a wide variety of schemes, their weakness,
and the often, inadequate accompanying information, has served only
to confuse consumers.
One exception is the organic scheme, which is generally recognised
by consumers and we believe should remain in place. Other assurance
schemes should remain totally separate thus ensuring that a scheme
that is well known by consumers remains and is in no way diluted.
There is clearly a need for rationalisation and for improvements in
how assurance schemes are operated and governed. Critically, the schemes
must become more open and based on sound governance principles if
they are to build consumer confidence and credibility.
In the light of this situation and these comments, Foodaware welcomes
the FSA draft position document and supports its recommendations.
Yours sincerely
Lucy Harris
UK Co-ordinator
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