Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 July (HL1237), whether the consultation in respect of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 includes the devolved administrations.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In June this year the Government held an informal consultation in order to seek views on possible additions to the exemptions currently allowed under the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 from the requirement to fortify flour with calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamine. The exemptions that were envisaged would allow more efficient and streamlined manufacturing operations for foods produced for export as well as for the home market, without compromising the public health benefits which accrue from fortification. A range of interested parties were consulted including millers, flour users, retailers, fortificant manufacturers and health professionals.
The options proposed in the consultation would allow millers to produce unfortified flour in England when used as a secondary ingredient which undergoes further processing, or is used in relatively small quantities in products. This approach was welcomed by most consultees and the Government is now considering how to take this forward.
The Department of Health and Public Health England has considered the proposals and concluded that it is unlikely that an exemption from fortification for flour used in such products will have a nutritionally significant impact on the intakes of calcium, iron, thiamine or niacin.
The changes proposed would apply to England only since food legislation is a devolved matter. The devolved administrations are aware of these proposals but have not yet made any decisions on whether to introduce similar changes.
Respondents to the consultation also asked for some additional flexibility around the point at which the fortificants are added to flour. At the moment flour must be fortified at the mill and the four fortificants are added as a premix at the end of the milling process. Many businesses which manufacture foods both for the home market and for export requested the flexibility to be able to add the fortificants at the bakery stage. They highlighted that the requirement for separate storage and handling for, both fortified and unfortified flour (which is used for exported products) was creating significant manufacturing complexities. That resulted in a more restricted product range and is having an adverse effect on their export potential and their ability to diversify into new global markets. The Government is currently considering this.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 July (HL1237), whether any proposed change to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 will be forwarded to the relevant scientific committee for consideration.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In June this year the Government held an informal consultation in order to seek views on possible additions to the exemptions currently allowed under the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 from the requirement to fortify flour with calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamine. The exemptions that were envisaged would allow more efficient and streamlined manufacturing operations for foods produced for export as well as for the home market, without compromising the public health benefits which accrue from fortification. A range of interested parties were consulted including millers, flour users, retailers, fortificant manufacturers and health professionals.
The options proposed in the consultation would allow millers to produce unfortified flour in England when used as a secondary ingredient which undergoes further processing, or is used in relatively small quantities in products. This approach was welcomed by most consultees and the Government is now considering how to take this forward.
The Department of Health and Public Health England has considered the proposals and concluded that it is unlikely that an exemption from fortification for flour used in such products will have a nutritionally significant impact on the intakes of calcium, iron, thiamine or niacin.
The changes proposed would apply to England only since food legislation is a devolved matter. The devolved administrations are aware of these proposals but have not yet made any decisions on whether to introduce similar changes.
Respondents to the consultation also asked for some additional flexibility around the point at which the fortificants are added to flour. At the moment flour must be fortified at the mill and the four fortificants are added as a premix at the end of the milling process. Many businesses which manufacture foods both for the home market and for export requested the flexibility to be able to add the fortificants at the bakery stage. They highlighted that the requirement for separate storage and handling for, both fortified and unfortified flour (which is used for exported products) was creating significant manufacturing complexities. That resulted in a more restricted product range and is having an adverse effect on their export potential and their ability to diversify into new global markets. The Government is currently considering this.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 July (HL1237) regarding a consultation on flour additives, what is the timetable for that consultation, whom they are consulting, and what options for possible change they are considering.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In June this year the Government held an informal consultation in order to seek views on possible additions to the exemptions currently allowed under the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 from the requirement to fortify flour with calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamine. The exemptions that were envisaged would allow more efficient and streamlined manufacturing operations for foods produced for export as well as for the home market, without compromising the public health benefits which accrue from fortification. A range of interested parties were consulted including millers, flour users, retailers, fortificant manufacturers and health professionals.
The options proposed in the consultation would allow millers to produce unfortified flour in England when used as a secondary ingredient which undergoes further processing, or is used in relatively small quantities in products. This approach was welcomed by most consultees and the Government is now considering how to take this forward.
The Department of Health and Public Health England has considered the proposals and concluded that it is unlikely that an exemption from fortification for flour used in such products will have a nutritionally significant impact on the intakes of calcium, iron, thiamine or niacin.
The changes proposed would apply to England only since food legislation is a devolved matter. The devolved administrations are aware of these proposals but have not yet made any decisions on whether to introduce similar changes.
Respondents to the consultation also asked for some additional flexibility around the point at which the fortificants are added to flour. At the moment flour must be fortified at the mill and the four fortificants are added as a premix at the end of the milling process. Many businesses which manufacture foods both for the home market and for export requested the flexibility to be able to add the fortificants at the bakery stage. They highlighted that the requirement for separate storage and handling for, both fortified and unfortified flour (which is used for exported products) was creating significant manufacturing complexities. That resulted in a more restricted product range and is having an adverse effect on their export potential and their ability to diversify into new global markets. The Government is currently considering this.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when planning started for the current consultation on a change in the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to allow unfortified flour to be used in certain circumstances; and whether the issue was raised during the 2013 Red Tape Challenge review of the Regulations.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The issue was considered during the 2013 Red Tape Challenge consultation, but an option to exempt flour used at lower levels was not supported by consultees at the time.
The current consultation was prompted by industry concern that new labelling rules introduced at the end of 2014, requiring those added fortificants to be labelled, would place producers at a disadvantage.
Supporting a world-leading UK food industry is a key priority for Government and it is committed to reducing red tape and helping business where it can without compromising public health.
The issue was raised prior to the 2013 decision and an option similar to what is now being proposed was included in the consultation but it was not supported by consultees at the time.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staple foods in the United Kingdom are subject to mandatory fortification.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Wheat Flour (excluding wholemeal) is the only food commodity which is subject to a mandatory fortification requirement in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total annual cost of the fortification of flour; and whether this cost is shared with the devolved administrations.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The cost of fortifying flour is borne by the milling industry rather than by central government departments or devolved administrations. It is estimated that, in 2013, UK production of those types of flour which the law requires to be fortified with iron, calcium, thiamine and niacin was approximately 3.5 million tonnes, and the cost to the industry of purchasing the four mandatory fortificants for that tonnage of flour would have been £2.5 million.
Nutrient | £ Cost (per tonne of flour) |
Calcium | 0.41p |
Vitamin Premix (Thiamin + Niacin + Iron) | 0.30p |
Total Cost | 0.71p |
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings have been held by Ministers with representatives of the food industry to discuss the subject matter of the Elliott Review into the Integrity and assurance of the food supply networks since the final draft was received by departments in June; and who was present at such meetings.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
There have been no Ministerial meetings with representatives of the food industry called specifically to discuss the review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks since June 2014. However the action being taken by industry following the horsemeat fraud incident and the Elliott Review interim report will have been discussed in the regular meetings Ministers have held with the food industry during this time.
Professor Elliott submitted his final report to Government in July, and this was published on 4 September.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the cost to date of the Elliott Review into the Integrity and assurance of the food supply networks; and when the final report will be published.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
Professor Chris Elliott’s Independent Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks was published on 4 September.
The Review to date has cost £194,000 in payments to Queens University Belfast for Professor Elliott’s time, his Subject Matter Experts, venue hire and associated costs of carrying out the Review.
A number of staff in Defra and on loan from the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency provided secretariat to support the Review. These staff were already part of departments’ existing administration budgets and the associated cost of these positions whilst working on the Review was £288,000, although some staff were also providing support to other areas of work.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 14 July (WA 94), on what date they received Professor Elliott’s final report into the food chain; whether any amendments have subsequently been made; when it was ready for publication; and whether it will be published before 30 July.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
Professor Elliott submitted a first draft of his final report to Defra and Department of Health in June 2014. We received an amended draft on 4 July ahead of any final formatting and the correction of typing errors. The final print ready version was received on 18 July and will be published shortly.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest estimate of the proportion of land in England designated as (1) green belt, (2) areas of outstanding natural beauty, (3) National Parks, and (4) urban or developed.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
1) Around 13% of England was designated as Green Belt in 2012/13.
2) There are 33 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designations wholly within England, along with the Wye Valley which spans the English-Welsh border. AONB designation covers approximately 15% of the land area of England.
3) There are 10 National Parks in England covering approximately 9% of the land area.
4) According to the Land Cover Map 2007, produced by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in 2011, around 9% of England is classed as built-up (including gardens).