The food enforcement lottery - Which? briefing

Various food scares have highlighted the importance of effectively policing the food industry to prevent consumers from becoming ill or being misled. Food businesses are ultimately responsible for complying with food legislation, but consumers also need to be able to rely on an effective system of enforcement that ensures they do this

In February 2014, Which? assessed how local authority food enforcement, over-seen by the Food Standards Agency, was working. This revealed considerable variation around the country and highlighted the need to review and strengthen food law enforcement to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Which? called for a more strategic approach to enforcement to make more effective use of limited resources and skills and ensures consumers are effectively protected wherever they live.

This briefing paper sets out recommendations for Government, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland to promote effective, independent food law enforcement that incentivises compliance and penalises breaches for trade and economic development, as well as consumer protection.

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The Food Enforcement Lottery - Which? Briefing 521 Kb