FSA targets emerging issues on the horizon

Recession, climate change and the emergence of new technologies and their effects on food safety and production could be the subject of future horizon scanning projects initiated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The FSA is pressing ahead with plans to develop horizon-scanning programmes, which it hopes will prepare it to tackle future issues such as major food incidents.

The Agency’s board met this month to paint a picture of the environment it expects to face in terms of the food and drink industry in the next five to 10 years.

Possible areas for additional research already raised at the FSA’s latest General Advisory Committee on Science meeting could include the effects of a recession on consumers’ eating behaviours. Others could embrace emerging US food trends, the effect of pesticide regulations on the food industry, the impact of oil prices on food prices, water and energy availability and dwindling scientific expertise.

“First of all, we are bringing together all the information coming out of horizon scanning so far and asking what the major issues are,” said Dr Patrick Miller, of the FSA’s Research Co-ordination Unit. “We want to ask: what works? How can the Agency improve its ability to pick up on issues? We’re also looking at innovations in food and food processing that could improve on what the FSA is trying to achieve.”

Each FSA committee was looking at its own particular subject areas. These individual areas would be pulled together and viewed as one whole. Possible outcomes would include determining which further resources should be dedicated to which priority areas.

It was hoped that closer co-operation with government and committees within the FSA itself would avoid different groups “tripping each other up”, said Lucy Foster of the FSA’s microbiological safety division. “For example, one of the elements in the current levelling off of the reduction in foodborne diseases may have to do with decisions that the FSA has taken regarding reformulation.”

FSA chief scientist Andrew Wadge added that he hoped the horizon scanning work would help to set priorities for how cash was spent on research. The Agency has set up an operational research team to look into this issue, which is due to report to the board in February.