Introduction from Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the FSA
I am delighted that you are considering applying for a non-executive role as Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board.
The FSA is a regulatory department, charged by law with protecting public health, and the wider interests of consumers, in relation to food. Our overarching aim is to ensure that the public can trust that their food is safe and authentic. We act on the basis of science and evidence, and we put public health and the consumer interest first in our decision making. We operate with high levels of transparency, including holding our Board meetings in public and inviting questions from the public on our work, to sustain trust and confidence in food standards.
Our status as a non-Ministerial Government Department, serving England, Wales and Northern Ireland gives us a high degree of independence, and we operate free from political direction or control. Legislation and 'floor of the House' matters are handled by the relevant Health Minister in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have a budget from the HM Treasury and Devolved Administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland of around £140 million and directly employ around 1400 civil servants. The FSA works closely with our sister department in Scotland, Food Standards Scotland.
The Board sets the strategic priorities to fulfil the FSA’s statutory purposes, and reviews progress against agreed outcomes. The Board takes major decisions on public health and regulatory matters and assures the delivery of our programmes and plans.
In 2022 the FSA published its strategy for improving food over the next five years and recommitted to its mission of food you can trust. The five-year strategy reflects the FSA’s greater responsibilities now that the UK is outside of the EU and also commits the FSA to working alongside other government departments towards healthier and more sustainable food.
The Board's ambition is for the FSA to be regarded as an excellent, accountable, modern regulator. We have a very committed and cohesive Board with Members from a range of backgrounds who share their knowledge and expertise in support of this goal. We hold Board meetings in public on four occasions each year, with two private Board retreats and regular briefings and stakeholder visits. We are united by a common purpose to uphold and enhance food standards. People across the UK, and in those countries we export to, care about food and if you join us, your contribution will help uphold and enhance the food standards we are proud of in the UK.
In this pack you will find additional information about the FSA and its work, details of the role, and how to apply. I look forward to receiving your application.
The FSA is an independent,
non-ministerial department, established in 2000 following several high-profile
outbreaks of foodborne illness such as BSE (mad cow disease).
The objectives,
powers and duties are mainly set out in the Food Standards Act 1999. They work
across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their main objectives in law are to
protect public health from risks arising from the consumption of food and to
protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.
The FSA aim to protect the public by ensuring that food is safe
and is what it says it is, and by playing their part in helping to make food
healthier and more sustainable for everyone.
They work across the food system to uphold high standards and to make it
easier for businesses to do the right thing. Their work helps ensure that
the public, and international trading partners, can have confidence in UK food.
The FSA’s role includes providing policy advice to ministers,
monitoring developments in science and technology and commissioning research,
ensuring their decisions and advice are always based on the best and most
recent science. They also provide information and advice to other policy-makers
and to the general public in connection with matters within their statutory
objectives. They have similar functions in relation to animal feed.
The FSA’s statutory powers include the power to issue guidance on
control of foodborne disease, and the power to gather and publish information
about the food system in support of their objectives, and to publish their own
advice. They also have specific powers as a regulator, to enforce food
safety controls directly with some businesses and to oversee the enforcement of
them by local authorities, with different policy responsibilities across
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since the UK left the EU, they also
assess all applications for new foods, feed, or food contact material to be
sold in England and Wales and advise health ministers on authorisations.
The
FSA governed by an independent Board, rather than ministers. The chair and other members are
appointed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Welsh
and Northern Ireland governments. They work closely with Food Standards
Scotland, which is the equivalent public body for Scotland.
The
FSA’s work is underpinned by the latest science and evidence and agreed at
their open Board meetings.
HM
Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive contribute
to their budget, which in recent years has been about £140 million.
Further information about the FSA’s work can
be found on their website at:
Homepage | Food Standards Agency
Useful links
The FSA Brochure
Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts
2024-25
Our Food 2024 | Food Standards Agency
FSA Board Operating Framework
Business Committee performance report
for Q2 2025/26 | Food Standards Agency
The FSA hold three Board
meetings and two retreats at various locations around England.
One Board
meeting per year is held in either Northern Ireland or Wales.
Future meetings are scheduled for:
15 & 16 September 2026
12 & 13 October 2026
8 & 9 December 2026
Further information can also be found at FSA Board Meetings | Food Standards Agency. This includes videos of previous Board
meetings