Chamber and committees

During the preparation, evaluation and revision of food law (including any changes to labelling requirements), Food Standards Scotland (FSS) carries out open and transparent public consultation, directly or through representative bodies. FSS does this by reaching out to business using their Stakeholder Management System and social media. FSS also engages with businesses during the development of guidance documents and provides other tools such as online allergy training.

However, whilst FSS has responsibility for the policies surrounding food composition, labelling and hygiene, local authorities are primarily responsible for the enforcement of the relevant legislation at local level. FSS encourages businesses to work with their local authority to improve compliance.

Food Standards Scotland routinely engages with all sectors of the food industry, providing advice and support to businesses to protect supply chains, including:

• Food Crime Risk Profiling Tool
• Food Crime Prevention Strategy
• in partnership with the Food Industry Intelligence Network and SALSA
• hosting food crime seminars for industry

Under the Food Information to Consumers Regulation, food information must be accurate and not mislead the consumer. This applies to both mandatory information such as ingredients lists and nutrition declarations as well as any voluntary information for example a general claim about a food being a healthy option. Local Authority Environmental Health Departments have powers under the Food Information (Scotland) Regulations 2014 to enforce these requirements and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) encourages businesses to work with enforcement officers to ensure compliance with the law.

Food Standards Scotland has undertaken two major public health campaigns on reducing foodborne illness in Scotland. Evaluations that were commissioned to assess the impact of these campaigns were positive in terms of visibility, reach and impacts on reported behaviours.

• The Pink Chicken campaign ran during the Summer of 2016 and aimed to increase awareness of, and reduce complacency about, the risks of food poisoning when cooking chicken outdoors over the summer season, particularly when barbecuing with family and friends. The key results and evaluation of this campaign can be read here Case_study-_Summer_Food_Safety_campaign.pdf.
• The Kitchen Crimes campaign in 2018 focussed on food safety behaviours and how consumers can make small changes in the kitchen to keep them and their family safe from the food they prepare and eat. The key results and evaluation of this campaign can be read here FSS 'Kitchen crimes' Food Safety Campaign 2018 - Evaluation | Food Standards Scotland.

In addition we have run smaller, more targeted campaigns to promote awareness of the risks of foodborne illness to the over 65 age group and good food safety practices when preparing and serving food over the Christmas period.

• In 2023, we ran a targeted campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with Campylobacter infection for those aged 65+. This campaign encouraged consumers who may be particularly vulnerable to campylobacter infection (the most commonly occurring cause of foodborne illness) to adopt safer food safety practices, particularly when it comes to the handling and cooking of chicken. This campaign tested the dissemination of information on Campylobacter on posters displayed in supermarket settings, and leaflets which provided food safety messaging alongside chicken recipes. We also engaged with people in this age group in assisted living premises, and ran focus groups to assess levels of understanding and get a better understanding of the format and channels of advice and information that is preferred by this age group and likely to have the most positive impact on food hygiene behaviours in the home. The evaluation of this campaign was not published but the findings are being used alongside outputs from our social research programme which will support the development of our future campaigns to communicate food safety messaging to segments of the population in Scotland which may be more vulnerable to foodborne illness.
• For Christmas 2021 we ran a food safety campaign reminding people about the risks of food poisoning over the festive period – focussing on the different food behaviours that people tend to adopt during the holiday e.g. over-stocking their fridges, catering for larger groups than usual, eating leftovers, and serving buffet style meals (with food left at room temperature for prolonged periods) . The campaign evaluation found that the it was well received, with good brand cut through and 82% of consumers questioned about the impact of our adverts saying that they took action to change their behaviour after seeing them-particularly around ensuring their turkey was cooked thoroughly and using leftovers safely.

A joint UK wide public consultation on fairer food labelling ran for 8 weeks from 12 March 2024 to 7 May 2024. The purpose of this consultation was to seek opinion on specific options in respect of method of production labelling, but it also provided an opportunity to gather evidence and opinions in respect of country-of-origin labelling. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are continuing to engage on this work alongside Scottish Government policy colleagues and on a four-country basis to determine next steps.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is responsible for advising the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Ministers and other stakeholders in relation to food safety and compositional standards matters in Scotland – this includes the provision of food safety advice in areas that were previously regulated at an EU level when the UK was an EU Member State. FSS consults extensively with the Food Standards Agency before advising Ministers of the need to amend or introduce any food safety legislation in Scotland. This is undertaken in line with the provisionally agreed Common Framework for Food Safety and Hygiene.

There are no plans to increase staff specifically at our Aberdeen office.

All information/intelligence relating to food crime is assessed and, where appropriate, is subject to further investigation or referred to relevant enforcement authorities, e.g. local authorities. Since 2018, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) investigators have undertaken forty-seven investigations of varying complexity into alleged food crime, many of which were conducted jointly with local authorities or with the collaboration of other law enforcement agencies (LEA), with FSS having a lead role.

Of these forty-seven investigations:

• 11 identified fraud
• 4 identified culpable and reckless conduct (serious food safety issues)
• 3 identified animal cruelty at FSS approved premises
• 1 identified breaches of hygiene regulations at approved premises
• 7 proved no crime had been committed

(Note: the above listing refers to the principal crime type as in a number of cases there were multiple crime counts, including statutory food safety offences).

As regards the remaining 21 investigations, these identified regulatory food crime or other related matters falling under the principal remit of local authorities or other law enforcement agencies (LEA including international LEA), which were referred for consideration of further action.

Food Standards Scotland has a statutory duty to improve the extent to which the Scottish population have diets conducive to good health. Their unique position, independent from government, allows them to report and publish evidence to inform policy across a wide range of actions in diet and nutrition.

In 2024 FSS published the Public Health Nutrition strategy which was developed to complement delivery of Scottish Government policy on diet as described in the Healthier Futures Delivery Plan and Out of Home Action Plan. This strategy outlines how improvements to diet in Scotland will be supported, including efforts to reduce levels of overweight and obesity.