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1716230

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 15 of the report by Bite Back entitled Fuel us don't fool us, published in 2024, what steps he is taking to prevent the food industry from targeting children; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring manufacturers to remove (a) child-appealing features and (b) misleading health claims from unhealthy products.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent Central
tabling member printed	Jo Gideon
uin	25098
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to working with businesses to ensure we create the conditions for a healthier nation, and we are considering the recommendations from Bite Back’s report, Fuel Us, Don’t Fool Us. We are committed to addressing childhood obesity by implementing an ambitious programme of measures. These include restricting the location of foods high in fat, salt, or sugar in shops and online, which came into force on 1 October 2022. These restrictions will have the single biggest impact on reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion, and provide the National Health Service savings of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.</p><p> </p><p>On 1 October 2025, the volume price promotion restrictions will come into force, restricting volume price promotions such as three for two offers on less healthy products. The Government will simultaneously introduce a United Kingdom wide 9:00pm television watershed for products high in fat, salt, or sugar, and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online. We continue to work with industry on the Food Data Transparency Partnership in co-developing voluntary reporting requirements for food businesses to demonstrate the healthiness of their sales.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 15/05/2024 13:23:18 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4817 label Biography information for Jo Gideon

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

1697032

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure retail food businesses comply with measures in the Food Information Regulations 2014 on providing written allergen information for labels.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	19237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety related labelling, including allergens. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing food law in the vast majority of food businesses, including those in the retail and catering sector. As central competent authority, the FSA monitors the delivery of official controls by local authorities.</p><p>The FSA produces the statutory Food Law Code of Practice and associated Practice Guidance establishing a set of expectations for the activities local authorities are responsible for under food law, and how these are to be delivered. This is supported by a range of training, advice, and guidance to help food officers discharge their functions. Recent changes to the Food Law Code of Practice will enable a more risk-based and intelligence-driven approach to targeting premises for food standards inspections and carrying out interventions, and includes specific consideration of the risk factor for compliance with providing allergen information.</p><p>The FSA also provides support for food businesses, for example through guidance and training, on providing allergen information in line with the requirements of the 2014 Food Information to Consumer Regulations to help drive up compliance and make it easier for people with a food allergy, intolerance, and coeliac disease to make safe choices when eating out.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 25/03/2024 11:12:22 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
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

1692380

registered interest
date	28/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on (a) obesity levels, (b) people with eating disorders and (c) young people.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	16196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department has commissioned independent research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the regulations, and these findings are expected in mid-2024. The NIHR is also funding research to explore the impact of the regulations on people with lived experience of eating disorders, with findings due in October 2025.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 16197 question first answered 08/03/2024 11:41:03 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1692382

registered interest
date	28/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will commission a review into the effectiveness of the requirement under the Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 to display calorie information on menus.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	16197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department has commissioned independent research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the regulations, and these findings are expected in mid-2024. The NIHR is also funding research to explore the impact of the regulations on people with lived experience of eating disorders, with findings due in October 2025.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 16196 question first answered 08/03/2024 11:41:03 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

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

1687451

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to help improve the (a) clarity and (b) accuracy of allergen information on food labelling.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	13073
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2024 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.  The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, so that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including food allergen labelling.</p><p>All food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances are able to make safe food choices. The FSA carries out a range of research to ensure that this information is clear and accurate. It has recently carried out an evaluation of the prepacked for direct sale food labelling requirements introduced in 2021, and updated food labelling technical guidance for businesses following a consultation with consumers and food businesses on the application and understanding of allergen labelling.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 13074 question first answered 12/02/2024 13:14:00 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi