Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 16 July 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 July 2014. It was answered by Jane Ellison (Conservative) on Monday, 1 September 2014 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Horse Meat

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken in response to the discovery of horsemeat in other foods in 2013 to improve co-operation between Government departments on public health issues.

Answer: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to develop its capability in relation to food fraud, in response to recommendations made in the reviews of the horsemeat incident, working closely with other Government Departments, enforcement agencies, local authorities and industry to detect and deter food fraud. The FSA is building an intelligence gathering network to increase the opportunity to capture and act on intelligence which may be indicative of future risks, as well as producing strategic and tactical assessments to share with relevant enforcement agencies, particularly through the Government Agency Intelligence Network.

Secondary information