Agency publishes feasibility study on monitoring novel foods

Wednesday 23 July 2003

The Food Standards Agency is today publishing research by Imperial College looking into the feasibility of monitoring the buying and eating of novel foods, including GM.

The research was commissioned by the Agency in 2000 following extensive discussions between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and a number of key stakeholders, and with a sub-group of the independent Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).

The study explored two commercially available databases and their potential for long-term monitoring of foods and food ingredients. Data on general food consumption and food purchasing patterns were analysed as the main component of the project. The buying and eating of a number of specific marker products was also monitored.

The study has shown that these databases have some potential for post-market monitoring, particularly of specific whole food products that are easily identified. However, there were difficulties in monitoring individual ingredients that are incorporated into a wide variety of foods, such as soya flour.

Additionally, it was not possible for Imperial College to assess individual consumption of foods because available purchase and sales data is based on a sample of households or generated at supermarket level (and then further aggregated for confidentiality). Consequently, the feasibility study only examined food product data, and did not examine health data. More work would be needed in order to examine the feasiblity of linking consumption data to health outcomes.

A stakeholder meeting to discuss the outcome of the project and its recommendations will be held on 30 September, and details will be sent to stakeholders shortly. The outcome of the stakeholder meeting will be reported to the Food Standards Agency Board.

A full Executive Summary, including recommendations to the Food Standards Agency by Imperial College, and the full report is attached below.

To register an interest in attending the stakeholder meeting, please email contact details and affiliation to: Stakeholder meeting.