Food standards cuts leaving Scots 'sick to their stomach'

The Scottish Conservatives accused SNP ministers of putting food safety at risk by reducing the budgets of local authorities and Food Standards Scotland.

The party said the quango had suffered an 18 per cent cut in real terms since 2022/23, with employee numbers falling each year since 2021.

The number of food business inspections dropped from 20,409 in 2023 to 19,466 last year, according to figures provided by the Scottish Government.

Meanwhile, detections of campylobacter, the most common bacterial cause of food poisoning, increased by nearly 7 per cent between 2022 and 2023, with detections of salmonella up by almost 9 per cent.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: “We know the damage SNP cuts are doing across Scotland, but it looks as though these ones are literally making Scots sick to their stomach.

“The work of Food Standards Scotland is vitally important, yet SNP ministers are failing to give them the resources they need. That is leading to fewer food inspections being carried out and a lack of prosecutions for food crimes.

“At the same time, shockingly yet predictably, the number of food poisoning-related illnesses has sharply increased in Scotland.

“SNP cuts to Food Standards Scotland and local councils across the country are putting food safety at risk in our communities. These cuts must be reversed to protect public health and ease the pressure on staff who are being asked to do more with less.”

He made the comments ahead of a scheduled meeting between SNP public health minister Jenni Minto and Food Standards Scotland next week.

Geoff Ogle, chief executive of Food Standards Scotland, said it had experienced a decline in resources and staffing. He said: “Protecting public health through safe food is, and always will be, our top priority.

“The figures quoted reflect challenges we’ve been highlighting for several years. Our joint annual report with the Food Standards Agency has consistently shown a decline in resources, staffing, and sampling capacity across the system. These are not new concerns - we’ve been clear that reductions in budgets have affected our ability to carry out some functions.

“However, more resource alone won’t solve the problem. That’s why we’re working closely with the Scottish Government and local authorities on a wide-ranging programme to reform how food law is delivered in Scotland — to make it more resilient, risk-based and fit for the future.

“It is also important to note that the cause of fluctuations in public health data is a complex issue. Increases in campylobacter and salmonella, for example, are influenced by multiple factors — including consumer behaviour, global supply chains, foreign travel and climate.

“We are not complacent about the risks, and we continue to take them very seriously. But it’s important to recognise that these challenges are long-standing, and addressing them requires not only funding, but structural change to how the system works.”

The Scottish Government was approached for comment.