Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations Guidance note

Tuesday 25 July 2006

This Guidance Note has been produced by the Food Standards Agency with the aim of providing informal guidance and a general introduction to The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2007.

The Regulations, which are made under The Food Safety Act 1990, make provision for the enactment and enforcement of European Commission Regulation 1881/2006, which sets maximum limits for certain contaminants in foodstuffs, and implements a number of allied enforcement Commission Directives/Regulations dealing with sampling and analysis procedures.

In England, the provision for the enactment, enforcement and implementation of the European Community (EC) measures is currently under The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2007 (Statutory Instrument 2007 No 29). Similar Regulations will apply in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. A brief summary of the provisions, offences and sanctions under the Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2007 is provided at Section 4. Copies of the Regulations are available from The Stationery Office or you can read them online on the Office of Public Sector Information site. A summary of the main provisions under The Food Safety Act, as amended, is at Section 5.

This Guidance Note does not provide guidance on the use of food contact materials or contamination arising from the use of packaging materials.