Volume 16: Reference Material
7. The organisation of MAFF and DH, 1986-96
The establishment of the Food Safety Directorate, November 1989

7.12 The Food Safety Directorate (FSD) was set up 'to strengthen the organisation of the Ministry for dealing with food safety issues by:

1. dividing food safety from food production responsibilities; and
2. bringing together under one MAFF junior Minister, designated as Food Minister, all the main aspects of food safety work for which the Ministry was responsible.' ¹

7.13 The result is shown in Chart B2. The new Directorate brought together policy work on food safety and quality (composition, labelling, additives, contaminants and new production processes, etc), supported by advice from food scientists; policy work on meat hygiene, animal health and related public health issues, and animal welfare; pesticide safety approvals; and work on veterinary medicines and biotechnology issues.

7.14 The initiative for the creation of the FSD came from the MAFF Minister at the time, Mr John Gummer. ² Mr Brian Dickinson, formerly head of the Food Safety Group within the FSD, confirmed to the Inquiry that this reorganisation was in response to public concern about what was perceived to be a conflict between MAFF's roles as sponsor of food producers and as protector of consumers, following criticism of its handling of the issue of salmonella in eggs. ³ This episode is described in vol. 6: Human Health 1989-96.