FSA Publishes Updated Food Law Codes Of Practice And Practice Guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the updated Food Law Codes of Practice (Codes) and Practice Guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, marking, they say an important step towards a more flexible and modern approach to food law enforcement.
The updated Codes and Practice Guidance reflect the FSA’s wider commitment to modernise the food safety system in response to evolving food practices, changing consumer habits and ongoing pressures in the food industry.
Rachel Cooper, Director of Strategy and Regulatory Compliance said: “This update helps ensure that local councils have a more flexible, risk-based approach to carry out their vital work in a way that’s both effective and sustainable. The changes we’ve made will strengthen the consistency of food law enforcement, support officer development and enhance consumer protection.”
Over the past two years, the FSA has worked with local councils and stakeholders to develop proposals for a modernised and risk-based approach to food regulation. A 12- week consultation was held in 2025 and the summary of responses for England, Wales and Northern Ireland were published in August.
Key updates include:
- A more flexible, risk-based approach to prioritising initial official controls of new food businesses, allowing the flexibility for local councils to triage businesses when they first register
- Greater use of alternative control methods, including, in some cases, remote assessments allowing local councils more choice to support more efficient use of resource
- Broadening the cohort of professionals who can undertake certain activities to support delivery of official controls in England and Wales to ensure that officer’s expertise is dedicated to where it can have the most impact
- The introduction of the new Food Standards Delivery Model in Wales. This updates how local councils regulate food standards within food establishments in Wales. This was implemented in England and Northern Ireland in 2023.
As part of its ongoing work to support local councils in maintaining high food standards, the FSA has also launched a revised competency standard which may be used to ensure that officers undertaking food safety checks are appropriately trained and competent. The standard, read in conjunction with the Food and Feed Law Codes of Practice, helps local councils assess the competency of their staff for the activities they undertake in their roles and is used as part of their ongoing professional development plan.