Support for the SAFER Food Business Interests Technical Advisory Group

SAFER is one of FSS’s key strategic priorities which aims to reform and modernise the delivery of food law in Scotland to ensure safe and authentic food for consumers by:

• Creating a delivery system that is sustainably resourced.
• Being intelligence-led, risk-focused and assurance-driven.
• Harnessing data and digital technologies to improve compliance.
• Driving efficiency and effectiveness across the system.

SAFER objectives are to:

1. Review and reform the food law delivery model for Scotland, benchmarked against leading international approaches to ensure ambition and best practice.

2. Develop options to sustainably fund delivery of official controls and consider a transparent and proportionate cost recovery system.

3. Explore innovative regulatory strategies for reform, focused on risk, assurance, increased efficiency, and measurable public health outcomes.

4. Utilise new technologies to support food safety professionals, incentivise business compliance, and enhance consumer protection.

The SAFER Programme Team will establish the Food Business Interests TAG (FBI TAG) which is needed to provide subject matter expertise from Scottish Food Industry in the co-design of a modernised food law delivery model and a sustainably funded Target Operating Model (TOM).

The establishment of the FBI TAG is to ensure food businesses have a voice and play a key role in co-designing the new TOM and shaping any cost recovery options should they be introduced.

In order to secure the FBI TAG’s specialist expertise, a dedicated resource to lead the work of the TAG is required, ensuring subject matter expertise is available to the SAFER Programme Team in a timely manner so work can be delivered at pace.