E-coli, human version BSE, salmonella, listeria - the food on your plate can be the death of you.

The BBC's Niall Dickson reports (Dur: 2' 20")

The potential danger lurking in your kitchen has been pushed to the top of the Government's agenda as they announce plans for a new Food Standards Agency.

It's hoped that this sign of positive action will allay public disquiet which has grown following recent food scares. Figures from the Public Health Laboratory Service show that 200 people die in England and Wales each year from food poisoning. 20 people died in one outbreak in Scotland at the end of 1996, and the numbers could be much higher if all cases were reported.

Some say the government is trying to tell us what to eat. Others say it's about time the government took the issue seriously enough to have an agency set up to monitor food. But perhaps food prices will rise to cope with tighter restrictions. Will the Food Agency have any effect?

Will the new Food Agency calm food fears?

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