"Large retailers, who sell much of the food we eat, should carry out regular DNA tests on meat and meat-based ingredients which form part of processed of frozen meat products," the committee wrote. "The results should be reported to the Food Standards Agency and a summary should be published on the retailer’s web site. The additional cost of this testing should be borne by retailers and not passed on to consumers."
The committee said retailers should have been more vigilant against the risks of adulterated meat, and that consumer confidence would be boosted by shorter supply chains. The committee also suggested in its report that communication about the role of the FSA should be improved.
"The FSA should ensure it is an effective regulator, serving the interests of consumers in ensuring safe and accurately labeled food," the report stated. "It should not be, or be seen to be, beholden to industry. To this end, it must be given powers to compel industry to carry out food testing when needed."
