Food law and enforcement

Responsibility for enforcing food law in the UK is shared between central and local government agencies. The main central enforcement bodies are:

• the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Food Standards Scotland in Scotland
• the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its agencies
• devolved agriculture and rural affairs departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland

Most food law is enforced by local councils. The FSA oversees local council enforcement to make sure food law is applied consistently across the food chain.

Food law enforcement in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, local councils enforce food law for businesses like cafes, restaurants, takeaways, food manufacturers and food shops. They also enforce food law in certain businesses that produce products of animal origin, such as fisheries businesses.

DAERA Agri-food Inspection Branch enforces food law for:

• primary producers - (ie farmers and growers)
• milk and milk products for dairy producers
• egg production and egg packing establishments

DAERA's Veterinary Public Health Unit enforces meat inspection in approved meat establishments.