Food scares are merely tip of the iceberg
Product recalls and other food safety incidents reported to and by the Food Standards Agency are merely the tip of the iceberg, according to research performed by Trace One.
While the general public is only aware of food recalls that affect major retailers or have wide-reaching consequences (such as the 2013 horse meat crisis), the agency reported 1,604 incidents in 2012 – more than four a day. These ranged from incorrect labelling on products, to chemical or microbiological contamination, to use of unauthorised ingredients.
Beyond this, a Freedom of Information request to both the FSA and the most populous local authorities in the UK showed that a large number of food safety incidents are not reported to the FSA, due to their local nature. Indeed, 40% of local authorities surveyed do not even record such incidents: meaning that there is no way of knowing the true scale of the issue. As a result, the full picture of potentially contaminated or otherwise unsafe products in the UK is far larger than consumers, retailers or manufacturers might expect.
“Whilst the FSA’s remit is to report all food alerts that occur across the UK, the fact that it does not act on local recalls means that there are still many incidents that slip under the radar,” says Nick Martin, senior VP Northern Europe for Trace One. “In the course of our research, there appeared to be little consistency in what actions local authorities took, whether actions were reported to the FSA, and whether these were even recorded.”
Whilst the majority of incidents reported by the FSA revolved around contamination, those limited to local authorities took a greater variety. Incorrect labelling or expired use-by dates accounted for 82% of all reported recalls – however, these were concentrated in a few local authorities. In others, there was a broader range of reasons for action; from pest infestations, to contaminated products, to hygiene concerns.
Martin argues that the lack of consistency in recording and reporting actions taken by local authorities makes it harder for consumers to trust that food safety issues are being dealt with appropriately. He states, “Consumers cannot be expected to know about and act rationally on every single food recall or alert that happens: instead, they need confidence that their safety is ensured. Not having a standardised way to report, record and analyse food recalls and alerts is unacceptable. Whether information is not kept for practical purposes or reasons of commercial sensitivity, the UK needs nation-wide standards to ensure that consumers can be sure that all parties are acting in their best interests: from the FSA, to the town hall, to the individual retailer.”
– Simon Rowley
