FSA News Item, 19 October 2010

GUIDE - Food law guide published

The Food Standards Agency is today publishing a quick-check guide to food law, which will be updated every three months.

It covers all food legislation in the UK. Where we have listed a Statutory Instrument that applies in only one UK country, we have given the details of any equivalent legislation in the other UK countries.

The following is taken from the relevant web page giving an introduction to the Guide.  The Guide itself can be found at: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/enforcement/foodlawguide.pdf

Food Law Guide

The Food Law Guide covers legislation in the UK. Where we have listed a Statutory Instrument that applies in only one UK country, we have given the details of any equivalent legislation in the other UK countries. It will be updated every three months.

• The first (and main) table lists all current food legislation, with details of associated EU legislation and links to any FSA guidance where this exists. Since the FSA’s change of remit earlier in 2010, food standards work in England has moved to Defra, and nutrition and dietary health work for England has moved to the Department of Health and for Wales to the Welsh Assembly Government. For legislation where responsibility for the English statutory instrument has moved out of the FSA, the new lead department is indicated in red, and gives details and links to the equivalent legislation in the other UK countries. The information in the guidance column is not a link to guidance for these English statutory instruments; it is a link to the appropriate lead department’s website. You will need to contact them to obtain the latest guidance on the legislation.
• The second table lists current legislation specific to a UK country other than England.
• The third table lists legislation where the responsibility is shared between the FSA and other Government departments.
• The fourth table shows future legislation and when it is expected to come into effect.
• The fifth table shows legislation revoked during the past 12 months.

The FSA also manages GRAIL, a searchable database of up-to-date legislation and guidance on those imported food products for which the FSA has lead responsibility. These are products of non-animal origin and fish and fishery products from non-European Union countries.