Legislation exists to protect consumers from food which is harmful to their health. The Food Safety Act 1990 and Regulations make it an offence to sell or process food for sale which does not meet its requirements.

Food labelling and allergens

Legislation requires that businesses label foods accurately to provide the consumer with the right information to make an informed choice. The Food Standards Agency website gives detailed information on specific labelling requirements, including:

• ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates
• food allergy and intolerance
• food additives

How we promote food safety legislation

We promote the safety and standards of food produced and sold locally by:

• risk-based inspections of commercial food premises
• scoring local food businesses under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
• sampling food produced and sold locally
• checking on compliance with food labelling and compositional standards
• investigating complaints about foods, food businesses and suspected food poisoning
• working with Public Health England to investigate confirmed cases of food poisoning and other infectious diseases.

Visit the Food Standards Agency website for advice on food safety in the home, buying food and eating out.

For more information on food labelling requirements, visit the business guidance section of the Food Standards Agency website.