A report into the horsemeat scandal has called for a “robust, effective” food crime unit to be set up to prevent a repeat of the crisis.
The author of the report, Professor Chris Elliott, said the move, which would involve unannounced audits and a zero-tolerance approach, would help protect consumers from further incidents, according to SkyNews.
“Consumers must be able to trust that the food they consume is what it claims to be,” he said, in his long-awaited report on the issue.
Professor Elliot warned it was the responsibility of retailers to provide evidence they had checked the background of any products bought for well below the recognized market price.
Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said the Government accepted all of the report’s recommendations and was “taking action to make sure that families can have absolute confidence in the food that they buy”.
Don’t miss the next issue of Frozen Food Europe magazine, where we will take in in-depth look at the report, its findings and proposed actions needed to be implemented.