APA News

  • Elliott Review – Final Report Published


    The long awaited Elliot Review Final Report has been published .
    Professor Elliott has broken his final report down into 8 thematic chapters and recommendations These include:
    • Creating a robust, effective Food Crime Unit to protect our food industry and consumers from criminal activity, and support better links with food crime agencies across the EU and beyond;
    • A zero tolerance approach to food fraud by improving intelligence gathering and sharing to make it difficult for criminals to operate;
    • Introducing new unannounced audit checks by the food industry to protect businesses and their customers;
    • Supporting the development of whistleblowing and reporting of food crime;
    • Improving laboratory testing capacity and capability to ensure a standardised approach for testing for food authenticity; and;
    • Encouraging the food industry to question the source of their supply chain.

    The Government Response welcomes and agree with the key principles of the report and highlight the work that has already been done by Government and industry since the horsemeat incident. The Government response agrees with Professor Elliott that a strategic approach is needed to maintain a resilient network of food analytical laboratories providing services for local authorities and businesses.

    The Government have issued a press statement , and in a written statement
    The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Elizabeth Truss, states “I welcome Professor Elliott’s report and would like to thank him for his important work in this area. I accept all of his recommendations,..”

    Anne McIntosh MP, the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee welcomed its publication and commented

    “Many of Professor Elliott’s conclusions echo those made by the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee in its two reports on Contamination of Beef Products and Food Contamination.. 

    “In particular, both the Committee and Professor Elliott raised concerns about the reduced capacity for testing in the UK and stressed the need for more Public Analysts to undertake such testing. The Government must set out how it intends to deliver this.