Scottish government is set to launch a new food safety regulator, Food Standards Scotland (FSS), which will takeover the operations carried out by UK organization, the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The announcement comes as Food (Scotland) Bill began its passage through the Scottish Parliament.
FSS aims to ensure that the food continues to be safe for consumption, advise consumers on improving the diet and nutrition operate efficiently and quickly respond to Scottish circumstances and be an effective and proportionate regulator. It also intends to support Scottish food and drink industry and its policy.
Public health minister Michael Matheson said that Scotland's new food safety body will be uniquely placed to focus on Scottish priorities and the Bill published today outlines what we will be expecting FSS to achieve.
"The body will be given specific enforcement powers to seize food that does not meet food standards or labelling rules and it will also be compulsory to report non-compliance with food standards regulations, which cover food fraud," Matheson added.
Scotland Food and Drink cabinet secretary Richard Lochhead said, "It is a key aim of this government to support the growth of the Scottish food and drink industry, which is known the world over for its safety, high quality and impeccable provenance."
Two years ago, the ministers in Scotland have decided to create a new food body to carry out functions, including food safety and standards, feed safety and standards, nutrition, food labelling, meat inspection policy and operational delivery.
A public consultation was conducted for suggestions to widen the functions further, and the government announced its decision in The Scottish Government's Response to 'A Healthier Scotland: Consultation on Creating a New Food Body' release.
