Blog archive

Today (23 January 2023) the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 come into force.

Professor Susan Jebb, the Food Standards Agency chairwoman, made a speech stating Cake in the office should be viewed like passive smoking. Energy intake, our daily bread, or even cake, is essential for living; unlike smoking or passive smoking. Professor Jebb would have been discussing the need to be supportive of a healthier lifestyle. However, the reference to passive smoking does imply the need for legislative restrictions to seek to underpin this.

It is 10 years since the Horsemeat food fraud scandal that rocked the food sector. Great improvements have been made but don't be complacent. Food fraud could mean unsafe food, unfit for human consumption and/or food without proper traceability and safety checks, not of the nature, substance or quality demanded, either by the consumer or your contractual terms, entering into our food products with potentially criminal liability for directors who are unable to establish they took all due diligence and reasonable precautions to avoid committing offences under food legislation.

Food & Agri Update Friday 20 Jan - Chinese lunar new year. FSA's professor Susan Jebb likens bringing cake into the office to passive smoking, a headline grabbing comment but one that doesn't add up. The GCA annual survey is of vital importance. Latest GSCOP case against Lidl £2.6mn claim. 10 years since horsegate - have we progressed? ASA rulings re targeting appropriate audience. CMA blocks Cerelia acquiring Jus-Rol. Food Standards Agency annual report. Aged meat safety assessment by EFSA. Deposit Return Scheme and EU waste packaging proposal reviewed #FSA #ASA #defra #gca #packaging #gscop #cma #waste #obesity #tobacco #litigation #hfss

Social media can be a powerful tool for charities but it must be managed very carefully as there are very real risks to contend with. The Charity Commission's draft guidance sets out steps trustees should take to ensure their social media usage is as low risk as possible.

The Government is planning to reverse last year's Supreme Court ruling on holiday entitlement for part-year workers...

The construction market is familiar with the need for cladding remediation works, however the Building Safety Act relates to more than just cladding. 

Draft regulations the Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations 2023 have been published to ban the supply of single-use plastic in England from October 2023. Key definitions and exclusions, including the meaning of packaging, are reviewed.

A recent Advertising Standards Authority ruling has underlined the importance of stating #ad in order to ensure marketing communications are obviously identifiable as adverts.

At the Oxford Farming Conference on 5th January, Farming Minister, Mark Spencer, announced more money for farmers and landowners through both the Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.  He also confirmed an expanded range of actions under the schemes, which farmers could be paid for, would be published soon.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a consultation on its draft annual plan for 2023 to 2024.  As food & agriculture continues to be of interest to the CMA, the CMA’s draft annual plan will be of particular relevance to businesses in this sector.

Food & Agri update Fri 13 Jan - Defra energy update April 2023 to March 2024 #energybilldiscountscheme ASA rulings on promotions. Northern Ireland Protocol IT sharing agreement. Net Zero independent review and single use plastics upcoming legislation #food #agri #update #energy #promotions #defra #asa #plastics #netcarbon #ecolabelling