FSA avoids axe - but with wings cut

22 July, 2010

The Food Standards Agency has escaped the axe, the government has announced, but the industry body will lose its responsibilities for nutrition and labelling.

Press reports had predicted the FSA's demise, prompting a backlash from the health lobby. See Lansley to axe Food Standards Agency

A restuctured FSA will now be given a renewed focus on food safety issues, while the Department of Health will take on responsibility for nutrition policy in England. All policies relating to calorie labelling on restaurant menus, saturated fat, salt and sugar levels in food and portion sizing, will now fall under the jurisdiction of the DoH.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will take over some of the FSA’s other responsibilities, such as food composition policies, Country of Origin labelling and all other non-safety-related food labelling.

The FSA will however retain responsibility for the roll out of the Scores on the Doors hygiene rating system.