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Food Standards Agency (FSA)

The Food Standards Agency is a non-Ministerial Government Department led by a Board. It came into being on 1 April 2000 and its main objective, set out in section 1 of the Food Standards Act 1999, is to protect public health from risks which may arise in connection with the consumption of food and otherwise to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. It was created to overcome the perceived conflict faced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in balancing the interests of the food industry on the one hand and consumers on the other. The handling of the BSE crisis was one of the reasons behind the setting up of the Agency.

The independence of the Agency is enhanced, in particular, by its power to publish information, including the advice it gives to Ministers. Openness is one of its core values.

The Agency is a UK-wide body operating within a field of devolved competence. What this means is that legislative powers and certain other functions in relation to food safety exercised by Health Ministers in England are exercisable by the relevant Ministers or other appropriate authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Agency's remit covers both food ("from farm to fork") and animal feeding stuffs. Much of the subject matter is topical and often controversial.

Work of the Legal Team

We are a small legal team of 8 lawyers based in the Agency's attractive modern offices in Holborn. We provide in-house legal services to the Food Standards Agency and to the Meat Hygiene Service which is an Executive Agency of the Food Standards Agency. We also provide drafting and advisory services in respect of those functions, in particular legislative, that reside with Health Ministers.

The work is demanding and much of it EC driven. We are routinely engaged in:

· drafting Statutory Instruments
· advising on the interpretation of existing legislation
· advising on the negotiation and implementation of EC law
· advising on the enforcement of food law
· general public law issues.

Some legal work (mainly debt recovery and employment law) is outsourced. Advice to the devolved authorities is dealt with by Government lawyers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Benefits & Rewards

Although we are a small legal team, we do core Government work and the Food Standards Agency is an ideal learning environment for new recruits to the GLS.

Qualified Lawyer Vacancies

Vacancies are generally filled as they arise following adverts in the legal press.

Location

6th Floor
Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6NH

FURTHER INFORMATION

Visit http://www.food.gov.uk, or contact the Director of Legal Services, Food Standards Agency, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 2NH or ring 020 7276 8501.