Legal

Cannabidiol is generating interest in the food and drink industry

opinion

Legislation on products containing cannabidiol

By Helen Arrowsmith

With increased media coverage and social media interest leading to rising consumer awareness of hemp derivatives, in particular cannabidiol (CBD), many in the food and drink industry are looking to develop new products containing this compound. But the...

The best outcome would be continued tariff-free and frictionless trade between the UK and the EU

Trade body counters calls for import tariff cut

By Rod Addy

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has stressed the importance of two-way tariff-free trade after Brexit, in contrast to one consumer group advocating unilateral abolition of UK import tariffs.

Guidance over raw milk production was discussed by Food Standards Scotland, Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee and Specialist Cheesemaker’s Association

Food bodies meet over raw milk guidance

By Aidan Fortune

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC) recently met with the Specialist Cheesemaker’s Association (SCA) to discuss the concerns over guidance for the production of cheese made from raw, or unpasteurised,...

EU law states a food business must provide information on 14 specific allergens

Food Standards Agency defends allergen stance

By Rod Addy

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has rejected claims it should require foodservice firms to print full allergen labelling on packaged foods displayed to consumers under allergen labelling guidelines.

AIMS and the FSA will battle it out in the Supreme Court over challenging Official Veterinarians' decisions (Photo credit UK Supreme Court)

AIMS challenges FSA in Supreme Court

By Aidan Fortune

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) is to take on the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) in the Supreme Court over its refusal to allow Official Veterinarians’ (OV) decisions to be challenged.

Red Tractor's Jim Moseley reiterated the benefits of a modular assurance scheme

Red Tractor cracks down on standards

By Gwen Ridler

Assurance scheme Red Tractor removed more than 200 members in 2017 for not meeting standards, according to chief executive Jim Moseley.

Health and safety shouldn’t be gambled on, especially with the threat of huge fines should it fail

FEATURE

Avoid rolling the dice on health and safety

By Alyson Magee

With safety-first equipment and IT systems able to reduce the risk of workplace incidents and help manufacturers avoid severe penalties, can companies really afford not to invest in them?

Batters: 'I absolutely don’t want it written in blood, I want it written in ink.'

Deeds not words: NFU boss demands commitment from Gove

By Gwen Ridler

National Farmers Union (NFU) president Minette Batters has called on secretary of state Michael Gove to commit to securing the high standards of British food production after the UK leaves the EU next month.

Gove is speaking to colleagues in Government about delaying consultations involving departments other than DEFRA

More called for as Gove delays food consultations

By Rod Addy

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has welcomed the extension of deadlines pledged by environment secretary Michael Gove on some food industry consultations amid Brexit chaos, but believes others may also have to be delayed.

Food Standards Scotland has issued a Public Information Statement on the dangers of STEC in food

FSS issues STEC food safety advice

By Aidan Fortune

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has issued a Public Information Statement to make clear its position regarding the presence of a group of harmful E.coli bacteria called STEC in food.

Moy Park was fined £866,650 for an accident involving a forklift truck

Moy Park fined for forklift accident

By Gwen Ridler

Poultry processor Moy Park has been fined more than £850,000, after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a forklift truck accident at its Ashbourne site.

Pay gap reporting will be top of the legal agenda this year

Pay gap to dominate law agenda

By Aidan Fortune

Pay gap reporting is set to be top of the employment law agenda for 2019, according to legal firm Howes Percival.

Products of animal origin will be able to display the EC identification mark for a transitional period

‘No control’ on export labelling rules post-Brexit: Defra

By Noli Dinkovski

The Government is aiming “wherever possible” to allow a transition period for food labelling changes if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March – but warned it had “no control” over how changes will be enforced overseas for exporters.

A relaxation of modified atmosphere-packed foods legislation has been urged by the industry

Call for FSA to relax MAP guidance

By Rick Pendrous

Food safety experts have called for a relaxation of guidance governing the controls on vacuum and modified atmosphere-packed (MAP) chilled foods, which has been claimed to place UK manufacturers at a distinct disadvantage compared with overseas competitors.

Three in four people believe restaurants should display calorie information on menus, says Diabetes UK

Improve nutrition labelling, restaurants told

By Noli Dinkovski

Restaurants, cafés and takeaways have been urged to help consumers adopt healthier eating, after it was revealed that more than three in five adults (61%) struggled to find information on the nutritional content of food out of the home.

The ASA has banned a Red Bull ad for making unsolicited health claims

Red Bull ad banned by advertising watchdog

By Gwen Ridler

An advert for Red Bull energy drinks has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after it was deemed to be making unsolicited health claims.

The FDF accused the Government of using its consultation on food promotions to distract industry from the real issues surrounding Brexit

FDF slams restrictions on food and drink promotions

By Gwen Ridler

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has deemed the launch of the Government’s consultation on plans to restrict promotions of food and drink products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) as “grossly insensitive” and a “monumental distraction”.

The future of EU nationals working in the UK has been threatened by immigration proposals, claim experts

EU workers’ long-term future is key

By Rod Addy

Government immigration proposals have heightened fears over EU nationals’ status in the UK after 2020, according to Blacks Solicitors.

The UK will still have to follow EU regulations after Brexit, claimed a legal expert

UK tied into EU label legislation

By Gwen Ridler

The UK will be forced to follow EU guidelines on food labelling and safety post-Brexit without being part of the decision-making process, according to an expert in food legislation.

Mislabelling accounted for 1,741 (19%) of the 9,148 failed food standards tests in Scotland since 2013

Better food labelling urged by Scots MSP

By Noli Dinkovski

A Scottish MSP has called for tougher labelling legislation after a freedom of information request found almost one-in-five failed food standards tests in the country were down to mislabelling.

The Government's immigration strategy threatens to cut access to labour, warned the FDF

New immigration rules threaten food labour

By Gwen Ridler

New immigration controls proposed by the Government to encourage the flow of skilled workers into the country threaten to hike up hiring prices and cut access to labour, according to members of the food and drink industry.

The Government is planning ‘realistic but ambitious goals’ to achieve further salt reduction

‘Mixed progress’ on salt reduction targets: PHE

By Noli Dinkovski

The food industry has achieved “mixed progress” in meeting the latest Government salt reduction targets, according to Public Health England’s (PHE’s) first assessment since the introduction of voluntary targets in 2006.

Sainsbury's and Asda may have underestimated the enormity of the investigation into their proposed merger

Sainsbury’s and Asda succeed in extending merger timetable

By Rod Addy

Sainsbury’s and Asda have won their appeal against the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) timeline to respond to submitted evidence on their proposed merger, securing a further 11 days over Christmas to reply.

Melachrino: ‘Minimising contamination and trip hazards, together with using a good slip-resistant floor, is key’

Opinion

Addressing slip and trip hazards in the workplace

By Andy Melachrino

Andy Melachrino, chair of the Food and Drink Industries Group at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), addresses the need for manufacturers to minimise contamination and trip hazards in their workplaces.

The British Soft Drinks Association said it was committed to supporting the responsible sale of energy drinks

Not enough evidence for energy drink ban: committee

By Noli Dinkovski

A ban on the sale of energy drinks to children could be justified on “societal concerns”, but not on statistical evidence alone, according to a Parliamentary Committee report.

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