Food Standards Agency loses say on nation's diet

The Food Standards Agency is being stripped of its responsibility for deciding what people should and should not eat in a move which has increased concern that big business is too influential in shaping health policy. The agency will continue to exist but will focus primarily on food safety policy and enforcement, the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, announced today. British Heart Foundation chief executive Peter Hollins urged ministers to implement front-of-pack "traffic light labelling" and be brave and listen to health concerns rather than just voices from industry". The Food and Drink Federation welcomed the move but Professor Tim Lang, of City University, a government adviser on food policy, said the change was "a retrograde step" and "makes little sense".