The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that chief executive Emily Miles will leave FSA in September 2024.

In an email broadcast, FSA chair Susan Jebb shared the news of Emily Miles’ departure, revealing that Miles had been appointed as director general of food, biosecurity and trade at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Katie Pettifer, current director of strategy and regulatory compliance at the FSA, has been appointed interim chief executive to lead the FSA as the recruitment process begins.

This comes as Jebb extended her role as FSA chair on 8th July, as Ministers requested she stay at the FSA.

Chair of FSA, Professor Susan Jebb, said: “While we are sorry to lose Emily from the FSA, I am confident that we will continue to work closely together. She will bring a wealth of knowledge to her new role from her time at the FSA, and I look forward to working together in the future to improve the food system. 

“As announced earlier this week, my appointment as FSA Chair has been temporarily extended to provide consistent leadership over this post-election period. This will enable the FSA to continue to provide an effective regulatory system to uphold the high food standards that are so important to us all.

“I am delighted that Katie Pettifer, who is currently our director of strategy and regulatory compliance, will be acting as interim chief executive to lead our teams whilst we recruit for a permanent appointment.”

FSA CEO Emily Miles said: “I’m delighted to take up this new challenge, but I’m really sad to be leaving the FSA. I joined it in 2019, before Brexit, the pandemic, the Ukraine war and the cost-of-living ‘crisis’.  

“The organisation has achieved a huge amount in these five years with a determined focus on delivering food you can trust. I know that I’m leaving the FSA in the strong hands of the FSA leadership team and our chair Professor Susan Jebb.   

“I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication of my colleagues in the FSA, and look forward to continuing to work with them in my new role.”