Olympic feat to safeguard public health

Wakefield MP and Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh joined the Food Standards Agency in Parliament on Tuesday 12 June to highlight work being done to develop and enforce food safety regulations which will help keep the public safe at this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with partners since as far back as 2008 on the issue. Preparations include grants to 35 local authorities in Olympic ‘host’ boroughs to improve business compliance; an extra 16,000 inspections of food businesses in the run-up to the Games and one-to-one food safety coaching for around 2,000 businesses within Olympic host boroughs and Live Sites.

Separately, as part of efforts to crackdown on illegal and non-compliant food, three depots will be used for councils to store food and mobile food vans and equipment seized during the sporting event.

A series of exercises’ have been staged to firm up the Agency’s emergency response and contingency plans in the unlikely event of a high-level crisis.

Mary is pictured crossing the Olympic finishing line with Team FSA at a Parliamentary event held during national Food Safety Week. She said: "Food safety is a vital issue and the UK has an Olympian task ahead in demonstrating we are world leaders when it comes to protecting public health in relation to food."

The FSA’s ‘Play it Safe’ campaign highlights how businesses should prepare for the Games, with useful tips for visitors on how to eat safely during the Olympics. For further information go to www.food.gov.uk/olympics or follow on Twitter at @playitsafefood.