Food Standards Agency (FSA) chair Dame Deidre Hutton told last week’s Federation of Bakers conference that the agency wants to be "porous" and "as open as possible to external views" on key issues.

She urged some 140 delegates at the event in London to keep working with the FSA on topics such as salt, folic acid and other dietary debates, and to maintain the existing "constructive" relationship.

She called on attendees to inform the FSA of any bugbears in regulations. Some 95% of regulations in the UK came from Europe, she said, and the FSA’s mission was to keep things simple for businesses.

Hutton joined speakers including Oxford Brookes head of nutrition and food science Professor Jeya Henry, Ed Garner from TNS and Ian Bentley from M&S.

l See pg 13 and next week’s issue for coverage of the conference.