European legislation
Much of the detailed legislation on food standards originates in the European Union. This section includes details on how food hygiene legislation was consolidated and simplified as well as details of other European legislation.
Find out more
Background to the 2006 food hygiene legislation
From 1 January 2006, new EU food hygiene legislation has applied throughout the UK.
Application of Article 5 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2991/94 laying down standards for spreadable fats
Regulation (EC) No 2991/94 defines under Article 5 when terms such as ‘reduced-fat’, ‘low-fat’ or ‘light’ can be used to label spreadable fats. At the time of adoption it was agreed to review the use of these terms within five years, on the basis of a report to be compiled by the European Commission.
Consulting on rapidly developing policy
To enable more meaningful consultation and obtain early stakeholder input on EU and associated domestic legislation, updates will keep stakeholders informed of the latest changes as well as building up the history behind the featured policy development.
Official feed and food controls regulation
The EU White Paper on Food Safety identified the need to establish a Community-wide framework for official controls.The aim of the resulting regulation (EU Regulation 882/2004) is to improve the consistency and effectiveness of official controls and provide safeguards to consumers.