Food Safety Law
The laws on food hygiene changed in 2006, and now greater emphasis is put on the way in which risks to the safety of food are managed. Food businesses now have a clear legal duty to make sure that food served or sold to customers is safe to eat. A written food safety management plan and procedures, based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, must now be put in place, implemented and maintained.
The main areas of food safety law that cover food businesses are:- The Food Safety Act 1990
- The General Food Regulations 2004
- The Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013
- Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (lays down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety)
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (regards the hygiene of foodstuffs)
- Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 (laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin)
- Conviction in the magistrates' court is liable to a fine up to £5,000 per offence
- Crown court conviction carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment and / or an unlimited fine