Food Standards Agency welcomes Lord Rooker as its new chair

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) welcomes the announcement of the appointment of Lord Rooker​ as its new chair by the Secretary of State for Health.

Lord Rooker, a former Minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), replaces the outgoing chair Dame Deirdre Hutton and will take up his new duties on July, 27.

Tim Smith, chief executive of the FSA, said: “I am delighted that Lord Rooker will be joining us in this role and personally I very much look forward to working with him. His political experience and understanding of food issues make him an excellent choice for this challenging position.”

Lord Rooker added: "I am very pleased to have been offered this position particularly as I was involved in setting up the Agency in the late 1990s when I was a Minister at Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. I believe it is vital we have an independent, non-ministerial department responsible for food safety, which is open and transparent."