The baking industry has to wait until autumn to discover whether the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will be axed as part of the government’s cost-cutting agenda.

It had been reported that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley would announce the demise of the FSA, as he unveiled a White Paper on NHS reforms. Instead, Lansley referred only to a public health paper in the autumn, which will study quangos with public health responsibilities, including the FSA.

The Conservatives had proposed moving the FSA’s responsibilities for nutrition, diet and public health into the Department of Health. But the stalled decision leaves bakers and coffee shop owners wondering whether issues such as salt reduction targets and the Scores on the Doors scheme will be affected.

A spokesman for the Depart-ment of Health said: "As part of our drive to increase public bodies’ accountability, we will consider where some functions of the FSA should best sit to ensure they are delivered most effectively."