The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board has agreed to proceed with designing plans to enhance the UK's food safety system. These proposals, part of the Future of Food Regulation programme, aim to reform the entire system, including strengthening local delivery and introducing a more consistent national approach for scrutinising the largest food businesses.
Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, stated that the current system has served well but needs to keep pace with changes in how food is bought, sold, and produced. She highlighted the irreplaceable expertise of local authority food teams, which are considered the backbone of food safety in the country.
The plans include giving local authority food teams the necessary tools, improving business registration, applying appropriate regulation levels, and making better use of data. Other proposals involve clearer guidance for businesses, more effective enforcement powers, and increased transparency about food hygiene, such as making online display of food hygiene ratings compulsory across the UK and in shops and restaurants in England.
The FSA will now work with local authority food teams, businesses, and other partners through a technical advisory committee. The programme is expected to present developed proposals to the FSA Board in March 2027, followed by a public consultation later in 2027.