Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1715635

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the public consultation on fairer food labelling which closes on 7 May 2024 does not include labelling the method of slaughter used in respect of meat products.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	24608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter, and legislation sets out the main requirements to protect the welfare of animals when being slaughtered. The Government expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices. Where any information is provided on the method of slaughter it must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently consulting on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling, including options for the production standards behind them. Our proposed standards initially focus on the period of time the animal spends on farm. We are seeking views through consultation on these standards, including the period of life which they should cover.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 13/05/2024 15:57:42 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1693423

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve food labelling so that (a) consumers are effectively informed on which products have been produced (i) locally and (ii) in the UK and (b) local products are not undercut by external competition which is not produced to the same standard.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Alyn Smith
uin	16839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>Country of origin information is required for fresh and frozen meat derived from beef cattle, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, wine and some fish products. It is also required for all prepacked food where its omission would be misleading to consumers. In any case, where an indication of origin or provenance is given, either in words or pictures, this must be accurate. Buying food locally and supporting their local food economy is important to many consumers and where any label indicates that a food is produced locally, this must not be misleading to a consumer.</p><p> </p><p>As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer food labelling. This will explore how we can better highlight imports that do not meet UK welfare standards. The consultation will also seek evidence and views on how origin information could be improved for consumers.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 08/03/2024 18:32:29 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4738 label Biography information for Alyn Smith

1690898

registered interest
date	21/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department takes to ensure compliance with food labelling regulations for products marketed as (a) vegetarian and (b) vegan; and what penalties are applied to businesses for non-compliance with those regulations.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	15141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.</p><p> </p><p>While there are no specific rules covering information on the suitability of food for vegetarians or vegans, the requirement that food information must not mislead consumers applies to such labels as for other voluntary labels.</p><p> </p><p>Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. The Food Standards Agency has agreements and protocols in place to support local authorities in their work and gives guidance to explain the regulations and how they can be applied to food businesses. When assessing foodstuffs for non-compliance, Trading Standards officers adhere to an established hierarchy of enforcement actions, ranging from improvements notices to criminal charges resulting in custodial sentences and unlimited fines.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 26/02/2024 15:12:48 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1688905

registered interest
date	14/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the information on food packaging to enable consumers to make informed choices.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL2484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>All food sold in the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. These rules require that a food label on pre-packed foods must show:</p><p>the name of the food;</p><p>a list of ingredients;</p><p>the net quantity of the food and the quantity of certain ingredients used;</p><p>ingredients causing allergies or intolerances;</p><p>a best before or use by date;</p><p>any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use;</p><p>the name and address of the food business operator;</p><p>instructions for use where necessary, and</p><p>a nutrition declaration.</p><p>Country of origin information is already required for fresh and frozen meat of beef, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as for uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil and wine. For all other prepacked food, origin is required where its omission would be misleading to consumers. For processed food, where the origin of the primary ingredient is different to that of the food itself and the origin of the food is given, an indication that the origin of the primary ingredient is different or the specific origin must also be provided.</p><p> </p><p>At the Oxford Farming Conference, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a rapid consultation to gather views on how we can make packaging information clearer to help boost consumer confidence and ensure farmers are fairly rewarded.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 23/02/2024 14:30:11 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1688255

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that information on food packaging is accessible for blind and partially-sighted people.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	13666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. It is already a requirement that food information must be easily visible, clearly legible and where appropriate indelible, in addition to there being a required minimum font size for mandatory information</p><p><br> We are aware of moves by some retailers to provide information on food in braille format, and the government is interested in seeing how this works</p><p><br> We know there are other exciting possibilities, including the use of mobile phone apps and QR codes via which consumers with visual impairments may be able to access not only the basics, but the full range of information available on the label, as well as additional information provided via the App or QR code.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 19/02/2024 08:26:19 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1687453

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that food businesses adhere to food labelling standards for items (a) containing common allergens and (b) marketed as (i) vegetarian and (ii) vegan.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	13075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2024 answer text <p>The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food businesses selling food in the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. For example, food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide accurate information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances can make safe food choices.</p><p>While there are no specific rules covering information on the suitability of food for vegetarians or vegans, the requirement that food information must not mislead consumers applies to such labels as for other voluntary labels.</p><p> </p><p>It is the duty of Local Authorities to enforce food safety and labelling regulations, to help ensure food is safe for people living with a food allergy. The Food Standards Agency have agreements and protocols in place to support local authorities in their work and give guidance to explain the regulations and how they can be applied to food businesses.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 14/02/2024 09:33:34 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1687455

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to conduct a review of the current penalties for non-compliance with food labelling regulations.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	13077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2024 answer text <p>Food labelling rules are enforced independently by local authorities. When assessing food stuffs for non- compliance, Trading standards officers adhere to an established hierarchy of enforcement actions, ranging from improvements notices to criminal charges resulting in custodial sentences and unlimited fines. There are no current plans to review penalties on general food information law, and these rules, as is standard procedure, are subject to periodic post implementation review.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/02/2024 16:47:10 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1685912

registered interest
date	30/01/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme on the competitiveness of British farmers relative to food producers overseas.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	11935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>While Red Tractor is not a Government scheme, we recognise how important it is to work closely with industry, which is why the Food Standards Agency has an earned recognition relationship with Red Tractor. We will continue to work with industry bodies on the vital role they play in helping farmers do the right thing – giving communication and advice as well as upholding standards.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/02/2024 14:26:50 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1685913

registered interest
date	30/01/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase the information provided by food labelling.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	11936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>As the Secretary of State discussed in his speech at the Oxford Farming conference, we think there is an opportunity to improve transparency for consumers and ensure fairness for producers, so consumers can be fully confident about what they’re buying. We therefore intend to launch a rapid consultation on clearer labelling.</p><p> </p><p>The consultation will explore options for improving method of production labelling and country-of-origin labelling.</p><p> </p><p>It will explore how we can better highlight imports that do not meet UK welfare standards, and, in terms of country-of-origin labelling, look at improving how and where origin information is displayed - including for minimally processed meat, such as bacon and ham - and what products should be in scope.</p><p> </p><p>The exact details of the consultation will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/02/2024 13:47:01 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1684946

registered interest
date	24/01/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of 'Not for EU' labelling requirements on small and medium-sized food producers who (a) export to the European Union and (b) sell within the UK.
tabling member constituency	Chesham and Amersham
tabling member printed	Sarah Green
uin	11466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2024 answer text <p>On 1 October 2023, The UK Government introduced The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme to simplify movements of retail goods from GB to NI. To use the scheme businesses need to apply ‘Not for EU’ labelling to their goods.</p><p> </p><p>As a result, these businesses, including small and medium-sized food producers, benefit from significantly reduced certification requirements.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also launched the £50m Windsor Framework Transitional Labelling Financial Assistance Scheme to support businesses in adjusting to these changes.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 09/02/2024 09:25:23 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4918 label Biography information for Sarah Green