The Scottish government is to create a food standards watchdog for the country.

The new body will oversee issues including food safety, nutrition and labelling in Scotland.

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It follows changes to the remit of the UK’s Food Standards Agency in 2010. The coalition then decided the FSA should focus on food safety and moved responsibility for nutrition and labelling in England to the UK Department of Health.

However, the FSA retained responsbility for nutrition and labelling policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scottish ministers then called for a review into whether a stand-alone food standards body should be set up in the country.

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Michael Matheson, Scotland’s public health minister, said: “The changes in England removed significant capacity in the FSA’s nutrition and labelling functions for Scotland and needed to be addressed. A new body will allow a Scottish approach to be taken to tackle poor diet and food-borne diseases and should support our food and drink industry in growing its strong, international reputation for safe, quality food.”

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Scottish politicians will vote in whether to set up the body, which will also have power over meat inspection in the country.

Matheson added: “The new body will be at arms-length from the Scottish Government.  The body will encompass nutrition and labelling policy, and meat inspection policy and operational delivery, in addition to food safety and standards. We will establish a new body which is independent, evidence-based, consumer-focussed and transparent.”