The Food Standards Agency of the UK (FSA) is making changes to its work plan for 2022–2023 due to unforeseen demands, the agency explained in its December 2022 board meeting. Despite FSA’s decision to put the brakes on some areas of work, the agency expresses that it will continue critical activities to ensure the safety of the UK food supply.

Since the publication of its five-year strategy and the presentation of its Fiscal Year 2022–2023 Budget in March 2022, FSA has taken on new or expanded areas of work that were unexpected and are demanding of the agency’s resources. One such area of work is supporting the development and implementation of the Genetic Technology Bill, which was introduced to the UK House of Commons months earlier than expected. The Genetic Technology Bill would establish provisions about the release, marketing, and risk assessment of precision-bred plants and animals, as well as for food and feed produced from such plants and animals.