The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced a series of changes in the way it is structured to better support its strategy for the next five years.

The previously announced merger of the FSA and Meat Hygiene Service into a single, stronger organisation, together with the creation of its new Operations Group and the drive for reduced administrative duplication, will result in a more effective and capable agency that can deliver the 2010-2015 strategic plan, it claims.

As a result of the merger, the agency is currently undergoing a considerable period of change and development and the directors have now decided that in order to complete this reorganisation, there will be a more explicit distinction between our policy and operations activities.

Separately, Gill Fine of the Consumer Choice and Dietary Health Group has decided to retire from the agency in April 2010 while Andrew Wadge has asked to relinquish the role of director of food safety and will concentrate on his work as the agency’s chief scientist, working three days a week, effective from April 2010.

In a statement, the FSA said: “Taken together, these factors present an opportunity for the agency to combine these policy areas into one directorate, and will result in the creation of a new post - director of policy - which will oversee all policy development.”

It will also be advertising for a new director of operations to oversee its new Operations Group.