Retailers Support Food Integrity Report

The report, produced by Professor Chris Elliott, professor of food safety and director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast following last year’s horsemeat scandal, has made various recommendations to be put into place across the food industry, including prioritising consumers with regards to food safety, and protecting food integrity via a new Food Crime Unit.

Andrew Opie, director, food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, “The Elliott report makes a valuable contribution to strengthening supply chain controls – a fundamental issue for all retailers. We particularly welcome the recognition that this requires good co-ordination along the supply chain and with Governments here and in Europe and that all parties must accept and meet their responsibilities.

“The retail sector has played its part by carrying out an extensive review of how we exchange intelligence, how we can tighten up testing and auditing and shorten our supply chains. The BRC itself has developed new key tools for auditing the supply chain that will strengthen controls and directly target food fraud.”

Barney White-Spunner, executive chairman of the Countryside Alliance said, “Consumer confidence alongside protection and support for our food producers is paramount. This report is good in that it seeks to ensure that consumers can make choices with confidence and protection to ensure the horsemeat scandal cannot happen again.

“The Countryside Alliance has long called for clear country of origin labelling on food containing meat to protect consumers but also to promote our hard working farmers.”

“We have some of the greatest food in the world and we will continue to promote British produce, adequately labelled, as a top choice for consumers.”