Food standards

What are food standards?

Food Standards is the legal requirements covering the quality, composition, labelling, and presentation of food. There are many regulations regarding labelling of specific products in addition to general labelling regulations. Also, there are many regulations controlling contaminants in food.

Do you inspect for food standards?

Yes, Food Standards inspections are carried out to ensure that food presented to the consumer is correctly labelled and its composition meets any legal requirements.

Food establishments must ensure that products they produce and sell are appropriately labelled and have all necessary information required by the legislation displayed for the customer. Depending on the type of business this can be on labels, invoices, menus etc.

Proprietors of food businesses must ensure that any claims made regarding the foods are accurate and can be backed up with evidence or documentation

How do you decide when to inspect a food business?

After an inspection, the business is assessed using a priority rating scheme which is set by the Food Standards Agency. The assessment considers the extent of the business and how well it complies with the regulations. This gives a score, which dictates the minimum frequency that the business should be visited.

Where can I find the legislation that affects my business?

You can access a full index of food legislation applicable in Scotland via the Food Law in Scotland index. Also, most legislation is available, free of charge, from the HMSO website.