In a notice published on 30 June 2026, the Food Standards Agency said the next themed meeting of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee will take place at Cathays Park in Cardiff on Thursday 9 July 2026, starting at 10:00, with the National Food Crime Unit as the main focus. GOV.UK papers for the session, including the full agenda and the director’s report, have been published in advance. (gov.uk)
The meeting carries more than scheduling significance. The Welsh Food Advisory Committee is the Food Standards Agency’s independent advisory body for Wales, chaired by the Wales Board member, and its role is to advise on food and feed safety and standards issues with a Wales-specific emphasis. In a report to the FSA Board published on 25 June 2026, chair Dr Rhian Hayward said themed meetings are used to examine issues from a country-specific perspective so that Welsh concerns can feed into wider FSA priorities. (food.gov.uk)
The published agenda shows a tightly defined session. After the chair’s welcome at 10:00, NFCU officials Reginald Bevan, Andy Bartram and Simon Ashwin are scheduled to cover the unit’s role, remit and operational priorities at 10:10, followed at 11:10 by a discussion of Wales-specific food crime risks and case studies, including smokies. The committee is then due to hold its own discussion on risks, challenges and enforcement priorities before a report from Sian Bowsley, Director for the FSA in Wales, and a close of the open meeting at 12:50. (gov.uk)
The focus on the NFCU is grounded in its enforcement role. According to the FSA’s published guidance, the National Food Crime Unit is a dedicated law enforcement function within the agency, providing leadership on food crime across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The unit was established in 2015 after the 2013 horse meat incident review, and it defines food crime as serious fraud and related criminality in food supply chains, including unlawful slaughter, diversion of unsafe food, adulteration, substitution, misrepresentation and document fraud. (food.gov.uk)
Wales-specific casework helps explain the committee’s focus. In her June 2026 report to the FSA Board, Dr Hayward said the committee wanted a deeper understanding of smokies activity in Wales, not only the nature and scale of the trade but also its effect on the Welsh economy, legitimate businesses, safe food and consumer trust. That sits against recent NFCU enforcement: in March 2026 the FSA announced a guilty plea in a case involving smokie meat, describing smokies as skin-on sheep meat produced in a way that is illegal in the UK and unlikely to meet required hygiene standards. (food.gov.uk)
The supporting papers show that the session will also serve as a wider checkpoint on food regulation in Wales. Sian Bowsley’s published director’s report says this is her final report to the committee and notes that, after the May 2026 Senedd election, Nerys Evans MS, Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, now holds the FSA in Wales within her remit. The report also sets out current delivery work with local authorities and stakeholders, including support for a Swansea prosecution over misdescribed lamb in a case backed by the NFCU, suggesting the 9 July meeting will combine operational scrutiny of food crime with a broader review of Welsh regulatory priorities. (gov.uk)