The Food Standards Agency saw an increase in the number of food incidents it investigated last year. These included reports of contaminated or illegal food entering the food chain, with some potentially harmful to the public.
According to the Annual Report of Incidents 2011 published today, 1,714 food incidents were investigated by the FSA last year, compared to 1,505 in 2010. This is a further increase on the 1,208 incidents reported in 2009.
No single reason has been identified for the increasing number. The FSA believes a combination of factors is behind the rise, but the most likely is improved monitoring and reporting.
FoodWorld 