About Us
The Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an independent food safety watchdog which was set up in April 2000 to meet growing consumer concerns about the way food safety decisions were made following a series of highly publicised food safety issues.
Food safety and standards are devolved matters and the Agency also has regional offices in Aberdeen, Belfast, Cardiff as well as its UK headquarters in London. The Meat Hygiene Service is an Executive Agency of the Food Standards Agency.
Although the FSA is a Government Agency it works at arm's length from Government because it doesn't report to a specific minister and is free to publish any advice it issues.
Our sphere of influence ranges across the entire food chain covering areas such as food standards, diet and nutrition, food safety and hygiene in abattoirs, shops, restaurants and take-aways as well as always giving clear, authoritative advice to consumers.
The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland piloted and launched the Eat Safe award in June 2003 with the Agency in Scotland coming on board in January 2005.
The Eat Safe Award
View our leaflets here.
The Eat Safe award has been in operation in Northern Ireland since June 2003 and was extended to Scotland in January 2005. It is administered by local council Environmental Health Services (EHS) in conjunction with the Food Standards Agency in both Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The main aim of the scheme is to provide an incentive to caterers to strive for food hygiene and food safety management standards beyond those required by law. It will also help consumers make informed choices about where to eat out by providing a recognisable 'sign' of excellence in standards of food hygiene.
Eligible establishments are assessed for the award as part of scheduled food hygiene inspections carried out by EHS and the issuing and control of the Eat Safe award certificates is handled by local authorities.
Initially the award was limited to catering operations to which the public had access. The scope of the award has, however been changed so that in both Northern Ireland and Scotland the award is now available to all catering establishments including hotels, restaurants, cafes, pubs serving food, takeaways, coffee shops, in-store restaurants, most hospital canteens, nursing homes, workplace restaurants and catering college restaurants.
A multi-sectoral stakeholder group, known as the Eat Safe Award Implementation Group, advises and assists with the ongoing development of the scheme. The group consists of Environmental Health, catering and consumer representatives from both Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Key People
Morris McAllister
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Morris McAllister is the Director of the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland. He was appointed in September 2000 and is also a member of the Executive Management Board of the Agency. Morris qualified as an Environmental Health Officer in 1970 and held a number of local government posts before joining the then Department of Environment (DOE) for Northern Ireland in 1981. He was appointed as Chief Environmental Health Officer (CEHO) at the DOE in 1991, a post which he held until his move to the then Department of Health and Social Services where as CEHO he provided professional policy advice to Ministers on the full range of environmental health issues. Morris has also chaired both the NI CEHO Group and the UK Government CEHO Group. |
Trevor Williamson
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Trevor Williamson is the unit head of General Food Hygiene and Incidents at the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland. He joined the FSANI in August 2000 where he advises on, amongst other things, policy relating to food safety management (HACCP) and food safety promotion issues. He has been responsible for the development of the Eat Safe scheme in Northern Ireland and is now Eat Safe Award Project Manager for Northern Ireland and chair of the Eat Safe Award Implementation Group (NI). Prior to joining the FSA, Trevor was Principal EHO at Southern Group Environmental Health Committee for 10 years and a member of the Northern Ireland Food Liaison Group. |
Dr. George Paterson
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Dr. George Paterson is the Director of the Food Standards Agency Scotland, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of the Agency's programmes in Scotland. A graduate of Edinburgh University, where he obtained BSc and PhD degrees, George carried out post-doctoral research at the National Research Council in Ottawa prior to working for many years for the Canadian government in a wide variety of scientific and managerial positions. |
Peter Midgley
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Peter Midgley is the Head of the Local Authority Food Law Enforcement Branch at the Food Standards Agency Scotland. He and his branch work closely with Scottish Local Authorities to provide advice and training on enforcement issues including food/feed safety, labelling and compositional standards and import controls. The Enforcement branch is also responsible for co-ordination of serious and/or widespread food and feed incidents and participates in outbreak control incidents and other food emergency activities. The branch is also tasked with providing catering businesses across Scotland with assistance to implement HACCP-based food safety management procedures. Eat Safe is one such initiative. |
