Red Tractor concludes ‘biggest’ food safety survey
THE “BIGGEST” consultation into food safety standards which was undertaken by a food and farming assurance body has closed.
While Red Tractor routinely reviews standards for its six sectors every three to four years, CEO Jim Moseley said this review, which was launched in January, had been wider than ever before.
“Over the past two months, we have embarked on the biggest consultation process in our 20year history,” he said.
“Although we routinely review our standards every few years, we felt it was important to change our approach, by opening up the process to as many individuals as possible.
“We wanted to hear directly from our members and stakeholders, in addition to the established routes of representative groups and organisations.”
Mr Moseley highlighted the changes currently facing the agricultural industry and said food standards had never been so important.
He added: “We’re living in a time of ever-increasing scrutiny and recognise that the choices we make today, could have a fundamental impact on the future of British agriculture.
“Preserving the public’s trust in UK agriculture and the Red Tractor, a recognised symbol of British food quality, has never been more important.”
The results of the consultation will now go back to the Technical
Advisory Committees, with the final proposition for the new standards published in the summer, ahead of their implementation in November.
“I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to provide their feedback, Mr Moseley said.
We will be taking all views into account as we work to deliver our final propositions.”
PEOPLE WITH mental health problems face a greater risk of financial harm when using certain services, from impulse spending to taking out expensive credit or dealing with scammers, according to a research charity.
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, which was set up by consumer champion Martin Lewis, said current plans to tackle online harm do not go far enough.
It said those with mental health problems can often face higher risks due to low mood, reduced concentration or impulsivity – which in turn can make it harder to control online spending or spot potential scams online.
A survey of 2,000 adults across the UK found that people with mental health problems are three times more likely to have been the victim of an online scam, compared with the wider population (23 per cent versus eight per cent).
And people with mental health problems are also twice as likely to feel under pressure to spend whenever they go online (22 per cent versus 11 per cent of those without a mental health problem).
A separate survey found that people agree that pushy, personalised notifications and adverts drive them to spend more than they can afford to online, the charity said.
People with mental health
problems are twice as likely to say that easy access to credit online has led them to spend more than they could afford (46 per cent versus 24 per cent).
The new Online Safety Bill will give regulators more powers to crack down on some social media content.
Money and Mental Health wants the plans to go further and said Ofcom should be given new powers to force social media platforms to take stronger action on user-generated scams – for example, scam content which is made to resemble a social media post from a friend.
The charity said six in 10 (59 per cent) adults want the Government to do more to protect people from financial problems when they go online, with fewer than one in 10 (nine per cent) disagreeing.
Mr Lewis, who has campaigned against scam adverts using his image and name, said: “I’ve been campaigning for action on online scams for three years, but UK consumer protections and fraud investigations remain hopelessly inadequate and out of date.
“That’s leaving vulnerable people exposed to increasingly sophisticated online criminals, and causing grave distress in the middle of this global crisis.
“The Online Safety Bill represents a golden opportunity for the Government to put this right, by putting proper safeguards in place against scams, but unthinkably it is planning to pass up the chance to put things right.”
He added: “We are urging the Government to rethink this plan.
“Failing to include scams in the Bill will not only make a mockery of its promise to create worldleading online protections, it will also leave vulnerable people defenceless against crime.”
We are urging the Government to rethink this plan. Consumer champion, Martin Lewis.