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Dept of Health

Answer

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set up an inquiry into the lessons to be learnt from the prosecutions relating to meat fraud (a) at Denby Poultry Products and (b) in Rotherham. [137587] Miss Melanie Johnson: Following the prosecutions for fraudulent diversion of unfit meat in the Rotherham case, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) set up the independent Waste Food Task Force. The Task Force, which was made up of experts from enforcement, industry and consumer backgrounds, advised the FSA on additional action that could be taken to prevent the illegal diversion of unfit meat into the food chain. The Task Force also included enforcers involved in the Denby Poultry Products prosecutions. The board of the FSA, at its September meeting, adopted an action plan to implement the recommendations of the Task Force. In addition to this, the FSA has called a seminar on 26 November to discuss the lessons to be learned from the Denby prosecutions. The seminar will involve those who were involved both in the Denby prosecutions and in other similar cases, including local authority enforcers, the Meat Hygiene Service, the police and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as industry and consumer representatives.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

137587; 413 c1120W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Contamination Enforcement Hygiene Food Standards Agency Prosecutions Meat Standards Rotherham Poultry meat Denby Poultry Products Waste Food Task Force

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk