British Soft Drinks Association
THE British Soft Drinks Association represents UK producers of soft drinks, including carbonated drinks, still and dilutable drinks, fruit juices and bottled waters. BSDA is an independent organisation with offices in central London, employing a full time professional staff. Membership at present includes around 90% of the manufacturers, factors and franchisors of Britain’s soft drinks.
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Contact Details
20-22 Stukeley Street,London, WC2B 5LR
Tel - +44 (0) 20 7430 0356 Fax - +44 (0) 20 7831 6014
Aims and Objectives
BSDA's principal activity is to represent the interests of the soft drinks industry, both at UK and European level, ensuring that the industry’s perspective is always considered and that the impact of regulations is fully understood. The lobbying activities of BSDA include the development and maintenance of links with the new authorities in Scotland and Wales and with the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
People
Executive Council
BSDA’s governing body is the Executive Council which meets four times per year. It is chaired by the President, with members made up from the ordinary section of the membership i.e. manufacturers and franchisors. The Council is elected every two years by the ordinary members of the Association. Council members are directors of the Association under the terms of the Articles of Association and as such have certain responsibilities, providing policy direction and overall financial control.
Board of Management
The Board of Management is a committee of the Executive Council. It is empowered to make decisions on behalf of the Council on administrative and financial matters. It meets eight times per year. Members of the Board are members of the Executive Council and are elected by their colleagues on the Executive.
Officers
- President - Graham Neale The President is elected by the membership every two years and is in effect the Chairman of the Board of Directors (Executive Council). The current President is Graham Neale, General Manager and Vice President, Nutritional Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline.
- Vice President - Paul Moody The Vice President is elected by the membership every two years and is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. The current Vice President is Paul Moody, Managing Director, Britvic Soft Drinks.
- Director General - Jill Ardagh The Director General is the General Manager of the day to day activities of the Association and Company Secretary for the organisation, reporting to the President and the Executive Council (Board of Directors).
Policy work
The BSDA's website lists several policy areas including, Government and Parliamentary Regulations and Food Standards Agency and Trading Standards.
Government and Parliamentary regulations
The BSDA's website states that "Many government departments have an influence over teh business environment in which iur members operate. Good relations can help BSDA protect members from the burdens of over zealous legislation and the problems such regulations can impose upon the sector. BSDA is recognised by the government as the voice of the UK soft drinks industry. BSDA holds regular discussions with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department for Trade and Industry, Department of Health (DoH) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to ensure that they are informed of members' views. SDA provides regular briefings for MPs in both the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments covering current issues faced by the industry and the action the industry is taking. BSDA is often asked to give evidence to parliamentary select committees and departmental enquiries on various government proposals. In addition, with our sister organisations in Europe, UNESDA, EFBW and AIJN, we are able to ensure that the UK industry's views are heard in Brussels and Strasbourg, from where more and more of our legislation emanates." [1]
Food Standards Agency and Trading Standards
The BDSA also claims to have close links with the Food Standards Agency. Their website states that the "BSDA works very closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to discuss both the content and the application of regulations. Of particular concern is the question of product recall. BSDA has assisted members who have had to recall products at the request of the FSA. BSDA is continually building on its experience and expertise in this area. Similarly, BSDA works with Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), Trading Standards Officers (TSOs) and their co-ordinating body,the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS). Training workshops are run for EHOs and TSOs on subjects such as combating the piracy of soft drink syrups, fruit juice authenticity, labelling legislation, foreign language labelled goods and bottled water quality. The aim is to protect both the consumer and the good name of members' brands." [2]
