The UK Government's review of the horsemeat scandal will be chaired by Professor Chris Elliott of Queen's University, Belfast in Northern Ireland. Elliott is a professor at the University's School of Biological Sciences and is the director of the university's new Institute for Global Food Safety, which he also helped to establish. The review will kick off in early June and will take between nine to 12 months to complete, with an interim report due in December 2013 and the final report due in spring 2014.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health (DEFRA) secretary of state, Owen Paterson, said that the Government's review would examine the integrity and assurance of food supply networks, and would assess the implications of the horsemeat scandal for the food chain and regulators. According to Paterson, who was speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday 4 June, Elliott would also provide more general advice to the government on "issues which impact upon consumer confidence in the authenticity of food products and any systemic failure in food supply networks which could have implications for food safety and public health."
Paterson continued, "We expect him to make recommendations to support improvements in current systems and to improve consumer confidence."
"Professor Elliott will bring years of experience to the vital task of ensuring people can be confident in the food they're buying," he added.
