The government's food watchdog has come in for criticism from a powerful committee of MPs.

In its report, the Commons public accounts committee has warned that the Food Standards Agency "lacked clarity" in its relations with government departments and was failing to take a lead on food safety.

Publishing a report on the first three years of the FSA's work, the cross-party committee the government agency was not yet an "authoritative and trusted voice".

The FSA's campaign to raise hygiene awareness in catering establishments came in for particular criticism.

The campaign had "not changed behaviour, with more than one third of staff still not washing their hands after using the toilet" the report said.

Chairman Edward Leigh said the FSA needed to do more to build trust in food after a series of public health scares.

"Public confidence in the safety of food was seriously undermined by high profile issues such as BSE," he said.

"But up to 4.5 million cases of food poisoning a year have also heightened public awareness

"It is disturbing then that the Agency has not yet demonstrated convincingly that it is able to lead on issues of food safety and standards.

"The Agency needs to monitor the extent to which its advice and information is being used, and develop a long term strategy to boost its profile."