Basket icon

Food Regulations

What is food hygiene regulation?

There are various food hygiene regulations:

All the regulations have a common aim. They place an obligation on all 'food businesses' to make sure that their activities are carried out hygienically. The regulations make it an offence to supply food that is unsafe to be consumed and harmful to human health.

If you break the regulations you may be fined or jailed.

What is the main provision for food hygiene EU regulations?

Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 set out the general principles for the hygienic production of foodstuffs by food business operators or FBOs. It laid out checks and controls which must be applied by FBOs throughout the food chain. From primary production through to the sale or supply to the final consumer.

It also:

  • established that primary responsibility for food safety lies with FBOs

  • laid down that food safety must be protected throughout the food chain, starting with primary production

  • required the registration of approval of food business establishments

  • required basic common hygiene requirements for premises, transport, equipment, waste and water supply.

  • personal hygiene of food handlers, wrapping and packaging and general requirements for the food itself

  • required that food businesses’ safety procedures are based on hazard analysis and critical control point ('HACCP') approaches, together with the application of good hygiene practices.

If you need more information on food hygiene and personal hygiene relating to food safety or want to train yourself or your staff then our low cost online training course is perfect.

What will happen to EU food regulations with Brexit or when Britain leaves the EU?

The food standards agency has placed an amendment before parliament to the existing UK food hygiene regulations. This will ensure that regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 and its related Regulations will be retained by  UK law. So there will be no change to the day-to-day legal requirements and obligations that apply to FBOs.

The objective of the Food Standards Agency and it's amendment is to maintain existing laws at EU Exit.

Why do we have food hygiene regulations?

Quite a simple straightforward answer, the food hygiene regulations exist to make sure that food is stored, prepared, handled, distributed and sold in a hygienic manner.

What is the general food hygiene regulation 1995?

First before going any further please note.  In England, Scotland and Wales these regulations have been revoked/replaced by the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations, the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations and the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations respectively.

These 1995 Regulations implemented Council Directive 93/43/EEC on the hygiene of foodstuffs, except for the requirements that related to temperature controls. The Regulations applied at all stages of food production except primary production. The regulations were made under the Food Safety Act 1990.

Anyone who owned, managed or worked in a food business - apart from those working in primary food production such as harvesting, slaughtering or milking - was affected by these Regulations. They applied to anything from a hot dog van to a five-star restaurant, from a village hall where food is prepared to a large supermarket, or to a vending machine.

The 1995 Regulations applied to all types of food and drink and their ingredients. But some businesses - generally manufacturers of products of animal origin, such as dairies or wholesale fish markets - were allowed to follow their own product-specific regulations.

If you need more information on food hygiene and personal hygiene relating to food safety or want to train yourself or your staff then our low-cost online training course is perfect. We also offer a range of additional food hygiene courses, further information on which can be found here.

 

 

Further Reading