Latest news with #foodstandards
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
How pulling out of a long-planned new infant formula standard left the government with an expensive problem
Photo: RNZ Creating a stand alone infant formula food standard for New Zealand would be "complex", "costly" and "require significant resources", the government was warned. The warning was issued to Cabinet ministers by Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard as the government considered opting out of tougher trans-Tasman baby formula rules last year. It is revealed in a newly released Cabinet paper from Hoggard. Despite the warning, Cabinet decided to opt out anyway, and Hoggard announced New Zealand would create its own standard. But since then, the government has been looking at how it could opt back in with Australia if exemptions to the labelling issues opposed by industry could be negotiated. The heavily redacted Cabinet paper shows Hoggard warned there would be "cost implications" if New Zealand chose to go it alone. "Significant resources will be required to develop the standard," Hoggard wrote. "Should New Zealand opt out, we will require a process to review industry applications for new ingredients for infant formula including food safety risk assessments and management. This is essential to ensure we maintain the assurance of our export partners and equivalence of our food safety system. Andrew Hoggard Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver "This work requires a specialist team with expertise in food science, nutrition, risk assessment, toxicology, genetic modification, dietary assessment and social science." The minutes of that Cabinet decision also noted the "potentially significant negative economic impacts" on formula companies if the standard was adopted. Ministers also agreed to "continue discussions" with Australia to allow New Zealand to opt into the standard in the future, the minute noted. Hoggard's warning about the cost of opting out of the trans-Tasman standard was echoed by others Photo: RNZ Just days before the Cabinet decision, Fonterra, which was in favour of adopting the proposed new standards, had raised concerns with MPI officials about the "complexity" of creating a New Zealand-alone standard. Fonterra questioned whether the ministry had the resources to implement and monitor such a standard. "We would be concerned if resource was diverted away from other dairy sector priorities," it wrote to an MPI official on July 31. MPI officials themselves were also concerned. An internal memo from late August warned that developing a New Zealand standard would be "complex" and require input from a host of specialists to assess "composition and labelling requirements." An RNZ investigation has previously revealed how a handful of formula companies, led by Danone, The a2 Milk Company and an industry lobby group, intensely lobbied the government against adopting the new trans-Tasman infant formula standards, which were more than 11 years in the making. The lobbying included bombarding senior ministers with emails, letters, surveys and legal advice, as well as having at least six meetings with Hoggard in the six months leading up to the decision. Newly released documents from MPI show industry representatives met with MPI officials 18 times over the issue between May 2023 and July 2024. Fonterra attended two meetings, Danone, which strongly opposed the standards, had three, including one where it brought seven executives. Fonterra and a2 typically brought only two executives to the meetings. The a2 Milk Company met with officials four times, as did the industry lobby group Infant Nutrition Council. The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ), headed by Hoggard's sister , also had two meetings with MPI. Two of the 18 meetings were regular MPI Dairy Product Safety Advisory Council meetings, attended by multiple dairy companies. They are included in the total count because the infant formula standards were discussed at these meetings. Representatives from INC, Danone, Fonterra, DCANZ and Synlait attended. MPI told RNZ that DCANZ "has advised that they did not take a position on the options in these meetings." In addition to the many meetings, emails showed that the INC had at least two phone calls with MPI staff in July, though these were not officially recorded as meetings. MPI also held "targeted stakeholder engagement" with a handful of formula companies in October to discuss how infant milk should be regulated. It met with Danone, a2, Fonterra, Nestle, INC, and the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Fonterra, Nestle and the Ministry of Health supported New Zealand opting into the FSANZ standards. In a statement, MPI said the consultation was part of its process to explore next steps. "This engagement informed a wider and ongoing process to develop options for the Minister to consider. These types of engagements are common practice and allow those who are affected by Government regulations to provide expert feedback," New Zealand Food Safety Deputy Director General Vince Arbuckle said. New Zealand "remains committed" to the joined food system with Australia, he said. In a statement, Hoggard's office said the situation with infant formula had not "materially changed" recently and he had nothing to add.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE WORST place in the UK for food standards with streets RIDDLED with zero-rated takeaways and shops
Britain's worst area for food standards can be revealed today after an investigation by MailOnline. Analysis of data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Office for National Statistics has uncovered the rate of businesses with zero-star food standards according to location per 100,000 population. MailOnline understands that the FSA believes all firms should be able to achieve the top five-star rating and thinks business should be aiming for at least a three-star rating or above. Yet data uncovered a slew of councils with zero stars, meaning food standards inspectors deemed 'urgent improvement is required'. One was worse than all the rest by a long way and when the Mail visited some of the takeaways and shops to blame, it was clear to see why. In one burger and taco joint, the boss used his bare hand to press a meat smasher into raw mince before using the same hand to lay down buns. In others, mess was overflowing onto the floor and dirt could be seen wedged in crevices beside jars of food. All the shops we visited were in a single area that has 76 zero-star businesses and a population of just 275,980. That area was Labour-run Waltham Forest, in east London, where one in every 25 eateries is rated zero stars and the area has the highest rate of zero-rated establishments in the country at 27.5. The next closest council in terms of the rate of zero-rated stores has half of that: Westminster Council, with 13.7. Speaking to MailOnline, the Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Conservatives accused the Council of 'turning a blind eye' to certain zero-rated shops and said it was more concerned with slapping residents with parking fines than prioritising food hygiene. Cllr Afzal Akram said the council had its priorities wrong and called for an inquiry as to why the store was not closed down despite the report. He said: 'When you are aware of it and you turn a blind eye, then this is just not on. 'It's dangerous. It could lead to a loss of life. 'Their priorities are wrong. Our Local Authority spends more time hitting people in the pocket with parking fines rather than on real world problems like food hygiene.' According to a report from National Scrap Cars, Waltham Forest made the second most money from parking fines last year with £6.3million. The Tory councillor added it was 'no surprise' that Waltham Forest has the highest rate of zero-rated food businesses in the country. He said: 'I don't think they are putting enough resources into it. You can see where the priorities are.' Two years ago, MailOnline visited one of Waltham Forest's Leytonstone High Road, where takeaways with dubious hygiene prepared food with their bare hands before asking customers to fork out their hard-earned cash. Today, little has changed. The area is riddled with zero-star businesses, and it's not just junk food and takeaways. The UK has just five major supermarket stores with zero-star ratings — two of them are on the same road in Waltham Forest. The Council said it follows FSA guidance and could only close a store if one of its food standards officers 'finds a business's standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to public health'. However, MailOnline can reveal the Council kept a store open despite one of its officers stating there was an 'imminent risk to consumers'. When our reporter put this to the council, it claimed the report 'explicitly' said: 'The imminent risk to consumers is eliminated.' However, the council had taken this out of context. As the photo of the report below shows, it actually said: 'When such significant problems are noted it is expected that the premises should close until the imminent risk to consumers is eliminated.' Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: 'Our food safety team works hard to ensure all food businesses in the borough comply with hygiene standards and keep customers safe. The council can only enforce food standards regulations - it is the legal responsibility of the food business operators to make sure that they meet these standards. 'We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards those food businesses that fail to meet their legal requirements. As a result, around 50 businesses are closed and prosecuted annually due to poor hygiene, inadequate food safety management, or pest-related issues.' Regarding the report, he said: 'The inspector's report references historic pest control issues from late 2024. 'The report indicates the officer believed the store should have closed voluntarily while a significant pest problem existed – we can confirm the store did voluntarily close in November 2024 to complete pest proofing works. 'The inspection report in March 2025 noted these issues as outlined in the store's own logs. 'Although serious issues were found during this inspection, they did not require the store's closure. 'In December 2024 Waltham Forest Council was the first local authority to close and prosecute an Aldi branch after mouse droppings were discovered in packaging in its Leyton store. Aldi was fined to the tune of £64,000. 'Waltham Forest was also the first council in the UK to close a branch of McDonalds for food safety risks for over 20 years when it did so in 2021.' Yet when the Mail visited zero-rated stores on Saturday, it wasn't hard to understand why they had received such low ratings. Soulfoods Farmacy, on Leytonstone High Road, has a zero food hygiene rating. However, owner Osiris Khnum, 56, who has run the shop for six years, told MailOnline his main focus was on cleanliness, health and nutrition. The father-of-four said: 'I can't really function without cleaning the place. 'We provide food for the mind, body and spirit. We have to go back to nature for our bodies to heal. 'We keep eating these processed and genetically modified foods - we become genetically modified and sick.' Mr Khnum claimed he had a five-star rating. In fact, it is zero, according to the FSA's webiste. A few minutes drive away in Leyton, 24-year-old Saqib Malik runs Perfect Fried Chicken, where he has worked for six years. An uncooked onion had been left out in the open on a counter in the kitchen area of the shop Stuck on the wall was a 'certificate of achievement' in 'Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering' but it was not from the FSA. Mr Malik said: 'We need to do these kind of courses so our ratings won't go down. 'Right now, I'll be honest, our rating is four. We are trying to get up to five. We are trying our best.' However, according to the FSA website, Mr Malik's shop is actually rated zero. Down the road, at Taco and Buns, owner Karym Marida, 41, said his passion was food. In his zero-rated store, he used his bare hand to smash a burger with a metal press before using the same hand to turn over buns. These shops were just some of the 76 in the area. Waltham Forest was joined in the top ten by councils including Westminster, Camden and Newham, meaning London has four local authorities with some of the worst stores for food hygiene in the country. Although Birmingham has the most zero star shops at 77, its population of 1.1mmillion means it only has a rate of 6.6 stores per 100,000 population. A Camden Council spokesman said: 'In Camden we have over 4,000 food premises. While 23 zero-rated establishments account for just 0.5 per cent of these, their identification highlights the vital work our teams do to protect public health and keep consumers informed. 'They also work closely with businesses to ensure rapid improvements are made and high standards of food hygiene and safety are maintained.' Pendle Council said it followed the FSA brand standard and has a zero tolerance approach to non compliant food businesses. Sarah Whitwell, Head of Housing and Environmental Health, said: 'We serve enforcement notices, close premises and have 15 prosecutions pending for issues including food safety management and poor hygiene. 'We have also increased capacity in the service within the last 12 months to ensure that we facilitate quicker enforcement against non compliant businesses and keep the public safe.' The Council said it encouraged residents to consult the FSA website to check the ratings before dining out. Newham Council said: 'Our Food Safety Team actively supports all businesses, especially those needing improvements, to raise standards and help local businesses thrive.'
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
British farmers face EU spot checks under Starmer's Brexit deal
British farmers will face EU spot checks under Sir Keir Starmer's Brexit deal, The Telegraph can disclose. The Prime Minister's agreement hands over permissions to EU agencies to conduct random inspections at farms and food production sites to ensure they are compliant with the bloc's rules. The Conservatives said the revelation was another example of the Government's Brexit 'reset' deal unravelling. Sir Keir has said his deal will help boost food and drink exports to the bloc and lower the cost of groceries at checkouts. Under its terms, the Prime Minister agreed that Britain would 'dynamically align' to the EU's rulebook for food standards and come under the auspices of the European Court of Justice. Two government sources told The Telegraph that this would mean accepting spot checks being carried out by EU officials at British farms, abattoirs and supermarkets. 'It's completely normal for different members of the same SPS [sanitary and phytosanitary] arrangements to complete routine checks on each other,' one said. The checks are likely to fuel further suspicions that Sir Keir's reset will significantly erode Brexit freedoms. Victoria Atkins, the shadow environment secretary, said: 'Labour's agreement with the EU is starting to unravel. The fishing industry has described the deal to me as a 'horror show'. And we are now starting to see what this will really mean for farmers and just how far Keir Starmer has been played. 'Rather than allow Eurocrat inspectors to intrude, interfere and punish UK farmers, the secretary of state should actually visit a farm to hear how his family farm tax is breaking British farming.' She added: 'With £6 billion of fishing rights for the EU, the loss of our right to set our own food rules and now Eurocrat inspectors nosing into UK farms, this is a bad deal for British farming and fishing. When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.' Alongside agreeing to become a rule-taker on food standards and energy, the Prime Minister caved in to EU demands for 12 years of guaranteed access to Britain's fishing waters. He will also have to negotiate a youth mobility scheme, making it easier for young Europeans to work, study and live in Britain, as well as joining the bloc's Erasmus student exchange programme, as a price for the reset deal. It is commonplace for officials from EU countries to carry out checks on other member states when they suspect the bloc's rules are not being properly enforced. These controls are carried out with little to no warning and can result in businesses being shut down if they are deemed to be in breach of EU standards. Brussels has a history of carrying out similar controls in Canada, New Zealand and Brazil, after signing trade agreements with the countries. British officials will also be allowed to send teams of inspectors to the Continent to ensure the rules are being followed under the Prime Minister's deal. Such controls are usually carried out after the discovery of tainted food inside the bloc's single market. Health certificates are used to trace a product to its source, such as a farm or an abattoir, before any decisions are made on whether to shut down businesses to prevent the further spread of potentially harmful products in the supply chain. Campaigners have previously used the results of such audits to demand a ban on imports of meat from Brazil to the bloc.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Daily T: Starmer's Brexit betrayal
The Prime Minister has, in his words, struck a 'win-win' deal with the European Union which will begin a 'new era' in UK-EU relations, arguing that he's 'delivering what the British public voted for last year'. The big problem is that, by allowing EU boats access to UK fishing waters until 2038 and agreeing to align with EU food standards, Starmer seems to be ignoring what the British public actually voted for back in 2016. There's no doubt that this is another step moving the UK closer to the bloc – but are we now on a path back into the EU as many suspect Starmer would like? Kamal and Tim are joined by the Telegraph's Europe editor James Crisp, fresh from the summit at Lancaster House, and by Boris Johnson's EU negotiator Lord David Frost.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UK and EU agree food standards deal to cut trade red tape
BRUSSELS/LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union on Monday agreed to prevent unnecessary border checks on agricultural produce such as meat and dairy under a food standards deal that is a key part of a wider reset in relations. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement will have no time limit, giving British businesses more certainty, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said in a statement. His office and an EU diplomat said the EU had agreed an indefinite deal to allow farm produce to trade with vastly reduced checks and paperwork. The deal, positioned by Britain as a central part of the reset, will eliminate some existing checks on plant and animal products, reducing lengthy lorry queues at the border and allowing food and drink to be traded more freely again. Britain said the SPS agreement, along with a separate deal on linking emissions trading systems, was expected add 9 billion pounds ($12 billion) to UK economic output by 2040. Britain said talks with the EU would continue on the details of the food standards deal and other agreements to be finalised as part of the reset, and it was unclear when the deal would take effect. ($1 = 0.7467 pounds)
