Conspiracy theories abounded this week over exactly who was behind the barrage of media coverage proclaiming the death of the Food Standards Agency.
Newspaper headlines screamed on Monday that the FSA was to be abolished, with most claiming that health secretary Andrew Lansley had caved in to pressure from within the food and drink industry. The Department of Health was forced to swiftly issue a statement to douse the flames. "No decision has been taken over the Food Standards Agency," said DH. "All arms -length bodies will be subject to a review."
Effectively nothing has changed from official Conservative policy stating that the FSA's diet and public health remit should be taken into DH, leaving the FSA to focus on hygiene and food safety.
So why the blanket press coverage? Industry sources were left to speculate over who stood to gain from this kind of publicity. One senior industry figure suggested the story might have come from within the FSA. "Maybe they wanted to stir up a backlash against the government," he said, pointing out that the stories were hot on the heels of Lansley's first major speech on public health last week, after which he came under attack for his apparent leniency towards the food industry. The FSA declined to comment.
However another industry insider suggested the story may have come from within the Department of Health. "Someone there might have been flying a kite to find out exactly how much support the FSA has," he said.
It is understood the government is still working through the practicalities of implementing its election pledge regarding the agency.
"We still don't know when it is going to say something about the FSA," said one source. "It looks as if it is working out the best way to move forward and it could be that it is taking longer to do so because of the FSA's devolved nature. As it operates separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, this may be an issue when it comes to bringing in any changes."
Newspaper headlines screamed on Monday that the FSA was to be abolished, with most claiming that health secretary Andrew Lansley had caved in to pressure from within the food and drink industry. The Department of Health was forced to swiftly issue a statement to douse the flames. "No decision has been taken over the Food Standards Agency," said DH. "All arms -length bodies will be subject to a review."
Effectively nothing has changed from official Conservative policy stating that the FSA's diet and public health remit should be taken into DH, leaving the FSA to focus on hygiene and food safety.
So why the blanket press coverage? Industry sources were left to speculate over who stood to gain from this kind of publicity. One senior industry figure suggested the story might have come from within the FSA. "Maybe they wanted to stir up a backlash against the government," he said, pointing out that the stories were hot on the heels of Lansley's first major speech on public health last week, after which he came under attack for his apparent leniency towards the food industry. The FSA declined to comment.
However another industry insider suggested the story may have come from within the Department of Health. "Someone there might have been flying a kite to find out exactly how much support the FSA has," he said.
It is understood the government is still working through the practicalities of implementing its election pledge regarding the agency.
"We still don't know when it is going to say something about the FSA," said one source. "It looks as if it is working out the best way to move forward and it could be that it is taking longer to do so because of the FSA's devolved nature. As it operates separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, this may be an issue when it comes to bringing in any changes."
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