Logo
Novel foods: Safety assessment and authorisation
What are novel foods?
What counts as a novel food, why businesses develop them, and how novel foods are regulated in Northern Ireland and the UK.
Novel foods are foods that have not been consumed to a significant degree in the European Union before 15 May 1997. This includes foods with no history of consumption and foods produced using new processes that change the product.
A food, ingredient or process may be novel if it:
- changes the composition of the food
- changes the nutritional value
- changes how the food is metabolised in the body
- leads to the presence of undesirable substances in the food
Examples of novel foods or processes
Examples of novel foods include:
- new oils, extracts or concentrates from existing foods, for example, new seed oils, plant extracts or sterol/stanol ingredients in cholesterol-lowering spreads
- new carbohydrates and protein sources, such as insect protein, algae‑based ingredients or plant protein isolates used in meat alternatives
- seeds, berries and other plant products not traditionally eaten in the EU, such as chia or baobab
- foods with significantly changed composition, for example, UV-treated bread, to increase vitamin D
Examples of novel food technology and processes include:
- nanotechnology - used to improve texture, shelf life or packaging performance
- high-pressure processing instead of traditional heat pasteurisation - used to make chilled juices or ready‑to‑eat meats safer and last longer
Why do businesses develop novel foods
Food businesses may develop novel foods because they:
- can be produced more efficiently
- offer new health or nutritional benefits
- have improved shelf life or functionality
If you are considering a new ingredient or process, you must be aware of the rules around novel food regulation and authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-are-novel-foods
Links
Novel food regulation
Which products are covered by novel food regulation, which are exempt, and how novel food rules apply in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Novel foods regulation controls which new foods and food processes can be placed on the market. A food is novel if it was not sold to a significant degree in the European Union before 15 May 1997.
The novel foods regulation applies to:
- foods with a new or intentionally modified molecular structure
- foods consisting of, or isolated from, micro-organisms, fungi or algae
- foods consisting of, isolated from or produced from minerals
- foods consisting of, isolated from or produced from plants or their parts (except foods obtained by traditional propagating practices with a safe history of use)
- foods resulting from a new production process that significantly changes composition or structure, affecting nutritional value, metabolism or the level of undesirable substances
Engineered nanomaterials, certain animal‑derived foods (for example, cultured meat and some insect products), and some new forms of vitamins and minerals are also treated as novel foods under the same regulation.
The regulation requires that novel foods be safe for consumers and properly labelled, so as not to mislead consumers. If novel food is intended to replace another food, it must not differ in a way that the consumption of the novel food would be nutritionally disadvantageous for the consumer
Exemptions from the novel food regulation
If a food or ingredient has a proven history of safe use as food and was sold commercially in at least one EU member state before 15 May 1997, it is generally not considered a novel food.
Regulatory context for novel foods in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, EU Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 on novel foods continues to apply. The Novel Foods Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 sets out how the EU rules are applied and enforced. Authorisations are granted at the EU level and listed on the Union list of authorised novel foods.
In Great Britain, novel foods are authorised under the GB regime. Businesses apply through the UK-regulated products application service. Some GB-authorised products may be supplied into NI via the Northern Ireland retail movement scheme, subject to scheme conditions.
How to check if your product falls under novel food regulation
It is your responsibility to know if the novel foods regulation applies to a product you want to sell. If you are not sure whether a food or ingredient is considered novel in Northern Ireland, you should:
- read the official EU guidance on novel food
- check the EU novel food catalogue and the Union list to see if a similar product is listed
For GB authorisation, look at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance to understand how novel products are classified and assessed.
If you remain unsure regarding the novel food status of your product, you should follow the procedure for the determination of novel food status, and contact the competent authority of the Member State where you first intend to place your product on the market.
Food business operators must provide the necessary information to the Member State to enable it to determine whether or not a food falls within the scope of the regulation. Before you can place novel foods on the market, they must undergo safety assessment and authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/novel-food-regulation
Links
Novel foods: Safety assessment and authorisation
Understand different authorisation routes for novel foods, and how to get authorisation for novel food in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Europe.
Novel food law requires all novel foods to undergo a formal safety assessment and authorisation before they can be placed on the market. There are two main routes for the authorisation of novel foods under the regulation that applies in Northern Ireland and Europe.
Authorisation of traditional foods from countries outside NI or the EU
This is a simplified route for foods that are new to the EU or NI, based on a documented history of their safe use in their country of origin. Businesses apply through an online notification to the European Commission. This route has reduced dossier requirements and a shorter assessment process than for other novel foods. Read the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance on the authorisation of traditional foods from third countries.
Full application for all non-traditional novel foods
For all non-traditional novel foods, you must submit a full application to the European Commission through their e-submission food chain platform. For your application, you must prepare a detailed dossier describing the food, production, uses, consumers and safety rationale. Once the Commission has validated the application, they will ask EFSA to carry out a scientific safety assessment.
The safety assessment for a full application normally covers:
- composition
- nutritional value
- metabolism
- intended use and target consumers
- presence of undesirable substances, such as contaminants
- production process and any changes to the final composition
- toxicology
- allergenicity
If the assessment is favourable, the product will be added to the Union list of authorised novel foods and can be lawfully marketed in the EU subject to any conditions of use.
If you want to market a novel food in NI that is not yet authorised in the EU, read the full guidance on procedures to request a novel food authorisation.
Novel food authorisation in Great Britain
In Great Britain, novel foods are authorised under the UK-regulated products framework, using the Food Standards Agency (FSA) risk assessment. Businesses apply for authorisation through the UK-regulated products application service. GB also maintains its own list of authorised regulated food and feed products.
If you plan to sell in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland/EU, you will need to be aware of the relevant Windsor Framework or Unfettered Market Access requirements.
For GB products moving into NI, you may need both GB and EU novel food authorisations, unless the goods are moving under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS). Under the Windsor Framework, some GB-authorised pre-packed retail products may be supplied into Northern Ireland via the NIRMS, subject to scheme conditions and product scope.
Novel foods produced in Northern Ireland must follow EU Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, however can be placed onto the GB market, provided they are Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods.
What this means for NI food businesses
If you place products directly on the Northern Ireland market, you must comply with EU novel foods rules and ensure the product is on the EU Union list, unless the product is moved under NIRMS. If you develop or import a new product, you may need:
- an EU novel food authorisation for NI/EU markets, and
- a GB novel food authorisation for sales in Great Britain
Read more about novel food regulation that applies in NI and GB and keep up to date with the FSA’s guidance on novel food authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/novel-foods-safety-assessment-and-authorisation
Links
Nanotechnology and cloning in novel food production
An explanation of nanotechnology and cloning in food industry, and how these technologies are regulated when used in the production of food and food products.
Nanotechnology and animal cloning are emerging technologies that can affect the food chain and may therefore fall under the novel food regulation, requiring safety assessments and authorisation before they can be placed on the market.
What is nanotechnology?
Engineered nanotechnology is a developing science. It is the manufacture and use of materials and structures in very small sizes, measured using the 'nanometre scale'. A nanometre is one-millionth of a millimetre. Because very small particles can behave differently from larger forms of the same substance, applications in the food and feed chain involving engineered nanomaterials are subject to specific risk assessments.
Nanotechnology in food and feed
Nanomaterials can be used in foods, food supplements, food contact materials and animal feed. Their purpose can vary. For example, they can be used to change texture, improve stability and shelf-life, or deliver nutrients.
Regulation of nanotechnology in food production
Under the EU novel food regulation, any food that consists of, contains, or uses engineered nanomaterials as an ingredient is treated as a novel food and must be authorised and safety-tested before it can be marketed in the Northern Ireland and European Union. Great Britain follows a similar, but separate, regulated food framework. Read more on novel food regulation.
If you intend to use nanotechnology in a food, feed or food contact material, you must check if the material is already authorised for use and if the nanoform is covered. Where a nanoform is not already authorised, you will need to apply for novel food authorisation, providing detailed characterisation of the nanomaterial and data on exposure, toxicology and any nanospecific hazards in line with relevant safety guidance.
Nanomaterials can also be regulated under other regimes without always coming through the novel food route, depending on how they are used. These regimes could be related to:
- Labelling - If you use an engineered nanomaterial as an ingredient, you must show ‘nano’ in brackets after its name in the ingredients list.
- Additives - If you significantly change an approved food additive by using nanotechnology or altering particle size, it is treated as a new additive and must be re‑evaluated before use.
- Food contact materials, including plastics – If you use substances in nanoform in food contact materials, they must be safety tested and authorised to ensure harmful chemicals do not migrate into food.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for the risk assessment of the use of nanomaterials in food and feed placed in the EU and Northern Ireland market. The Food Standards Agency and other UK authorities control nanomaterials in food and feed in GB.
Under the Windsor Framework, certain GB‑approved foods (which could include products using nanomaterials) can move from GB to NI via the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS), subject to scheme conditions.
Cloning in food and feed
Cloning is a reproductive technology used to produce genetically identical copies of animals. Scientific reviews have found no evidence that food from healthy animal clones is different from food from healthy conventionally bred animals, but there are ongoing concerns about the health and welfare of the cloned animals.
Regulation of cloning in food production
Cloning of farm animals is not currently used for commercial food production in the EU. If a business wanted to sell food from cloned animals on the EU market in future, any food from cloned animals would be treated as a novel food and could not be sold in the EU or Northern Ireland unless it had been safety assessed and authorised.
Cloning of farm animals is also subject to wider rules on food hygiene and on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, which businesses would need to comply with if commercial cloning were ever introduced. EU institutions have debated stricter rules on cloning for many years, and a range of stakeholders still call for a broad ban on cloning for farming and on imports of food from cloned animals and their descendants.
This is an area businesses should keep under review, particularly livestock breeders, meat and dairy producers, importers of live animals or genetic material, and retailers sourcing animal products from outside the EU/UK.
Plant cloning
Plant cloning is a long established, routine technique in agriculture and horticulture, and it is not regulated in the same way as animal cloning. The underlying legal framework is complex, but plant cloning is generally accepted and managed under standard plant health, seeds/propagating material and (where relevant) genetically modified organisms or plant‑breeding rules rather than any special cloning law.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/nanotechnology-and-cloning-novel-food-production
Links
Novel food regulation
What are novel foods?
What counts as a novel food, why businesses develop them, and how novel foods are regulated in Northern Ireland and the UK.
Novel foods are foods that have not been consumed to a significant degree in the European Union before 15 May 1997. This includes foods with no history of consumption and foods produced using new processes that change the product.
A food, ingredient or process may be novel if it:
- changes the composition of the food
- changes the nutritional value
- changes how the food is metabolised in the body
- leads to the presence of undesirable substances in the food
Examples of novel foods or processes
Examples of novel foods include:
- new oils, extracts or concentrates from existing foods, for example, new seed oils, plant extracts or sterol/stanol ingredients in cholesterol-lowering spreads
- new carbohydrates and protein sources, such as insect protein, algae‑based ingredients or plant protein isolates used in meat alternatives
- seeds, berries and other plant products not traditionally eaten in the EU, such as chia or baobab
- foods with significantly changed composition, for example, UV-treated bread, to increase vitamin D
Examples of novel food technology and processes include:
- nanotechnology - used to improve texture, shelf life or packaging performance
- high-pressure processing instead of traditional heat pasteurisation - used to make chilled juices or ready‑to‑eat meats safer and last longer
Why do businesses develop novel foods
Food businesses may develop novel foods because they:
- can be produced more efficiently
- offer new health or nutritional benefits
- have improved shelf life or functionality
If you are considering a new ingredient or process, you must be aware of the rules around novel food regulation and authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-are-novel-foods
Links
Novel food regulation
Which products are covered by novel food regulation, which are exempt, and how novel food rules apply in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Novel foods regulation controls which new foods and food processes can be placed on the market. A food is novel if it was not sold to a significant degree in the European Union before 15 May 1997.
The novel foods regulation applies to:
- foods with a new or intentionally modified molecular structure
- foods consisting of, or isolated from, micro-organisms, fungi or algae
- foods consisting of, isolated from or produced from minerals
- foods consisting of, isolated from or produced from plants or their parts (except foods obtained by traditional propagating practices with a safe history of use)
- foods resulting from a new production process that significantly changes composition or structure, affecting nutritional value, metabolism or the level of undesirable substances
Engineered nanomaterials, certain animal‑derived foods (for example, cultured meat and some insect products), and some new forms of vitamins and minerals are also treated as novel foods under the same regulation.
The regulation requires that novel foods be safe for consumers and properly labelled, so as not to mislead consumers. If novel food is intended to replace another food, it must not differ in a way that the consumption of the novel food would be nutritionally disadvantageous for the consumer
Exemptions from the novel food regulation
If a food or ingredient has a proven history of safe use as food and was sold commercially in at least one EU member state before 15 May 1997, it is generally not considered a novel food.
Regulatory context for novel foods in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, EU Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 on novel foods continues to apply. The Novel Foods Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 sets out how the EU rules are applied and enforced. Authorisations are granted at the EU level and listed on the Union list of authorised novel foods.
In Great Britain, novel foods are authorised under the GB regime. Businesses apply through the UK-regulated products application service. Some GB-authorised products may be supplied into NI via the Northern Ireland retail movement scheme, subject to scheme conditions.
How to check if your product falls under novel food regulation
It is your responsibility to know if the novel foods regulation applies to a product you want to sell. If you are not sure whether a food or ingredient is considered novel in Northern Ireland, you should:
- read the official EU guidance on novel food
- check the EU novel food catalogue and the Union list to see if a similar product is listed
For GB authorisation, look at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance to understand how novel products are classified and assessed.
If you remain unsure regarding the novel food status of your product, you should follow the procedure for the determination of novel food status, and contact the competent authority of the Member State where you first intend to place your product on the market.
Food business operators must provide the necessary information to the Member State to enable it to determine whether or not a food falls within the scope of the regulation. Before you can place novel foods on the market, they must undergo safety assessment and authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/novel-food-regulation
Links
Novel foods: Safety assessment and authorisation
Understand different authorisation routes for novel foods, and how to get authorisation for novel food in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Europe.
Novel food law requires all novel foods to undergo a formal safety assessment and authorisation before they can be placed on the market. There are two main routes for the authorisation of novel foods under the regulation that applies in Northern Ireland and Europe.
Authorisation of traditional foods from countries outside NI or the EU
This is a simplified route for foods that are new to the EU or NI, based on a documented history of their safe use in their country of origin. Businesses apply through an online notification to the European Commission. This route has reduced dossier requirements and a shorter assessment process than for other novel foods. Read the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance on the authorisation of traditional foods from third countries.
Full application for all non-traditional novel foods
For all non-traditional novel foods, you must submit a full application to the European Commission through their e-submission food chain platform. For your application, you must prepare a detailed dossier describing the food, production, uses, consumers and safety rationale. Once the Commission has validated the application, they will ask EFSA to carry out a scientific safety assessment.
The safety assessment for a full application normally covers:
- composition
- nutritional value
- metabolism
- intended use and target consumers
- presence of undesirable substances, such as contaminants
- production process and any changes to the final composition
- toxicology
- allergenicity
If the assessment is favourable, the product will be added to the Union list of authorised novel foods and can be lawfully marketed in the EU subject to any conditions of use.
If you want to market a novel food in NI that is not yet authorised in the EU, read the full guidance on procedures to request a novel food authorisation.
Novel food authorisation in Great Britain
In Great Britain, novel foods are authorised under the UK-regulated products framework, using the Food Standards Agency (FSA) risk assessment. Businesses apply for authorisation through the UK-regulated products application service. GB also maintains its own list of authorised regulated food and feed products.
If you plan to sell in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland/EU, you will need to be aware of the relevant Windsor Framework or Unfettered Market Access requirements.
For GB products moving into NI, you may need both GB and EU novel food authorisations, unless the goods are moving under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS). Under the Windsor Framework, some GB-authorised pre-packed retail products may be supplied into Northern Ireland via the NIRMS, subject to scheme conditions and product scope.
Novel foods produced in Northern Ireland must follow EU Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, however can be placed onto the GB market, provided they are Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods.
What this means for NI food businesses
If you place products directly on the Northern Ireland market, you must comply with EU novel foods rules and ensure the product is on the EU Union list, unless the product is moved under NIRMS. If you develop or import a new product, you may need:
- an EU novel food authorisation for NI/EU markets, and
- a GB novel food authorisation for sales in Great Britain
Read more about novel food regulation that applies in NI and GB and keep up to date with the FSA’s guidance on novel food authorisation.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/novel-foods-safety-assessment-and-authorisation
Links
Nanotechnology and cloning in novel food production
An explanation of nanotechnology and cloning in food industry, and how these technologies are regulated when used in the production of food and food products.
Nanotechnology and animal cloning are emerging technologies that can affect the food chain and may therefore fall under the novel food regulation, requiring safety assessments and authorisation before they can be placed on the market.
What is nanotechnology?
Engineered nanotechnology is a developing science. It is the manufacture and use of materials and structures in very small sizes, measured using the 'nanometre scale'. A nanometre is one-millionth of a millimetre. Because very small particles can behave differently from larger forms of the same substance, applications in the food and feed chain involving engineered nanomaterials are subject to specific risk assessments.
Nanotechnology in food and feed
Nanomaterials can be used in foods, food supplements, food contact materials and animal feed. Their purpose can vary. For example, they can be used to change texture, improve stability and shelf-life, or deliver nutrients.
Regulation of nanotechnology in food production
Under the EU novel food regulation, any food that consists of, contains, or uses engineered nanomaterials as an ingredient is treated as a novel food and must be authorised and safety-tested before it can be marketed in the Northern Ireland and European Union. Great Britain follows a similar, but separate, regulated food framework. Read more on novel food regulation.
If you intend to use nanotechnology in a food, feed or food contact material, you must check if the material is already authorised for use and if the nanoform is covered. Where a nanoform is not already authorised, you will need to apply for novel food authorisation, providing detailed characterisation of the nanomaterial and data on exposure, toxicology and any nanospecific hazards in line with relevant safety guidance.
Nanomaterials can also be regulated under other regimes without always coming through the novel food route, depending on how they are used. These regimes could be related to:
- Labelling - If you use an engineered nanomaterial as an ingredient, you must show ‘nano’ in brackets after its name in the ingredients list.
- Additives - If you significantly change an approved food additive by using nanotechnology or altering particle size, it is treated as a new additive and must be re‑evaluated before use.
- Food contact materials, including plastics – If you use substances in nanoform in food contact materials, they must be safety tested and authorised to ensure harmful chemicals do not migrate into food.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for the risk assessment of the use of nanomaterials in food and feed placed in the EU and Northern Ireland market. The Food Standards Agency and other UK authorities control nanomaterials in food and feed in GB.
Under the Windsor Framework, certain GB‑approved foods (which could include products using nanomaterials) can move from GB to NI via the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS), subject to scheme conditions.
Cloning in food and feed
Cloning is a reproductive technology used to produce genetically identical copies of animals. Scientific reviews have found no evidence that food from healthy animal clones is different from food from healthy conventionally bred animals, but there are ongoing concerns about the health and welfare of the cloned animals.
Regulation of cloning in food production
Cloning of farm animals is not currently used for commercial food production in the EU. If a business wanted to sell food from cloned animals on the EU market in future, any food from cloned animals would be treated as a novel food and could not be sold in the EU or Northern Ireland unless it had been safety assessed and authorised.
Cloning of farm animals is also subject to wider rules on food hygiene and on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, which businesses would need to comply with if commercial cloning were ever introduced. EU institutions have debated stricter rules on cloning for many years, and a range of stakeholders still call for a broad ban on cloning for farming and on imports of food from cloned animals and their descendants.
This is an area businesses should keep under review, particularly livestock breeders, meat and dairy producers, importers of live animals or genetic material, and retailers sourcing animal products from outside the EU/UK.
Plant cloning
Plant cloning is a long established, routine technique in agriculture and horticulture, and it is not regulated in the same way as animal cloning. The underlying legal framework is complex, but plant cloning is generally accepted and managed under standard plant health, seeds/propagating material and (where relevant) genetically modified organisms or plant‑breeding rules rather than any special cloning law.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/nanotechnology-and-cloning-novel-food-production
Links
Food safety alerts
What is a food incident?
Overview of food and feed incidents, and definitions of health and safety in food and feed.
A food incident happens when there are concerns about the safety of a food or animal feed product and action may need to be taken to protect people or animals.
What is unsafe food or feed?
Food is 'unsafe' if it is harmful to health or unfit to eat. Food that is unfit includes food that doesn't meet quality standards, but isn't necessarily harmful to health.
Animal feed is unsafe if it has a direct adverse effect on human or animal health, or makes edible animal products unsafe to eat.
Reporting unsafe food
You must report unsafe food or feed to the relevant authorities, even if you no longer hold them. The relevant authorities may include:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA) - for food
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) - for feed
It may also be a good idea to inform your trade association.
Types of food incidents
The FSA defines a food incident as any event where there are concerns about the safety, quality or integrity of food or feed, that could need action to protect consumers.
The main categories of incidents are:
- contamination during processing, distribution, retail or catering
- incorrect food labelling - such as missing allergens on a food label
- environmental pollution - such as a fire or chemical or oil spills
Incidents are classified by potential impact as:
- routine
- serious
- severe
- major
Following investigation, these incidents may mean that food or feed must be either:
- 'withdrawn' - removed from sales and taken off the shelves
- 'recalled' - removed from sales and customers asked to return the product
See more on food withdrawals and recalls.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-food-incident
Links
How to report a food or animal feed incident
Who to contact and how to report suspected unsafe food or feed.
A 'food incident' is when there are concerns about the safety of a food (or animal feed) product and action may need to be taken to protect consumers. See what is a food incident.
You can report a food or animal feed incident to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through their incident report form.
You can also contact the FSA Northern Ireland on Tel 0330 332 7149 or by email at fsa.incidentsni@food.gov.uk.
Food crime, which is fraud affecting the safety or authenticity of food, drink or animal feed, is different to food incidents. For more information, see how to report food fraud and read more about food crime.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-or-animal-feed-incident
Links
How to report food fraud
Process of reporting mislabelling, substitution and other types of food fraud to the Food Standards Agency.
Food crime is deliberate fraud in food, drink or feed supply chains. There are many different types of food crime, including:
- theft
- illegal processing
- adulteration or substitution
- waste diversion
- document fraud
- misrepresentation - ie marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness
Reporting food crime
If you are a whistleblower or a member of the public wishing to report a food crime, you can contact the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) confidential hotline on Tel 0800 028 11 80.
Alternatively, you can report a food safety concern online.
Local authorities are responsible for cases of poor food hygiene where there is no deliberate dishonesty or intention to deceive customers.
If you decide to report food fraud by whistleblowing, public interest disclosure law protects you from unfair treatment from your employer.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-fraud
Links
Food withdrawals and recalls
How to plan and prepare for carrying out food withdrawal and recalls in case you experience a food incident.
If a food incident happens, you may need to recall or withdraw a food product. It is important to plan ahead and have procedures in place so you can act quickly if a recall or withdrawal is required.
What are food withdrawals and recalls?
A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers.
A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Withdrawals and recalls guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced guidance to explain what the law requires and what businesses need to do if they experience a food incident. The guidance includes advice and best practice on:
- traceability systems
- making a decision on carrying out a withdrawal or recall
- roles and responsibilities
- how to inform consumers of a food recall
Find the FSA's guidance on food raceability, withdrawals and recalls within the UK food industry. Additional resources are also available to help you carry out a recall, including sample decision logs, notification templates, best practice examples and more.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-withdrawals-and-recalls
Links
Food safety alerts
Overview of the different types of food alerts, how to deal with them and where to get help.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues food alerts to warn about food safety risks. These alerts go to consumers, local councils and port authorities.
Types of food alert
There are different types of alerts:
- Food Alert for Action (FAFA) is issued where intervention by enforcement authorities is needed. These notices are often issued in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall.
- Product Recall Information Notice (PRIN) makes the public aware an unsafe food product is being removed from the supply chain, and advises them to take appropriate action (for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food).
- Allergy Alert (AA) tells the public that a product has missing or incorrect allergen labelling.
Businesses should check the FSA’s alerts regularly. You can also subscribe to get food and allergy alerts by email or text message.
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
The RASFF is an EU network for sharing urgent information about unsafe food or animal feed. EU member states use it to alert each other quickly about risks, such as contamination or unfit products, so they can take action like recalls.
The UK is no longer a full RASFF member but the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets up information exchange on food safety. The FSA receives relevant RASFF notifications in real time and turns them into UK-specific alerts, so UK businesses can see relevant threats without direct EU access.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-safety-alerts
Links
How to prevent and manage food risks and incidents
Put measures in place to prevent food and feed incidents, and minimise food safety risks.
Businesses must ensure safe food practices concerning their products, premises and working conditions.
This is the best way to prevent cases of food crime and minimise food and feed incidents.
Responsibility of food and feed businesses
Food and feed business operators in Northern Ireland must comply with the relevant hygiene regulations. They must put in place a food hygiene system based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
HACCP advises you to:
- conduct a hazard analysis
- identify critical control points
- set monitoring for critical control points
- establish critical limits
- plan corrective actions
- keep relevant records
- establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
With these procedures in place, you can set up critical control points, or key actions that can be taken to prevent further hazards. Use the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) safe catering pack for small businesses.
If a food or feed safety incident occurs
Where you have experienced a food or feed safety incident, you should conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) to understand how and why it happened. It will help you identify actions to prevent future incidents.
You can use the results of the RCA to review how you manage food safety and hygiene in your food business. This includes traceability, withdrawal and recall of unsafe food.
To help businesses understand RCA, the FSA has developed a Root Cause Analysis e-learning course.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-prevent-and-manage-food-risks-and-incidents
Links
How to report a food or animal feed incident
What is a food incident?
Overview of food and feed incidents, and definitions of health and safety in food and feed.
A food incident happens when there are concerns about the safety of a food or animal feed product and action may need to be taken to protect people or animals.
What is unsafe food or feed?
Food is 'unsafe' if it is harmful to health or unfit to eat. Food that is unfit includes food that doesn't meet quality standards, but isn't necessarily harmful to health.
Animal feed is unsafe if it has a direct adverse effect on human or animal health, or makes edible animal products unsafe to eat.
Reporting unsafe food
You must report unsafe food or feed to the relevant authorities, even if you no longer hold them. The relevant authorities may include:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA) - for food
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) - for feed
It may also be a good idea to inform your trade association.
Types of food incidents
The FSA defines a food incident as any event where there are concerns about the safety, quality or integrity of food or feed, that could need action to protect consumers.
The main categories of incidents are:
- contamination during processing, distribution, retail or catering
- incorrect food labelling - such as missing allergens on a food label
- environmental pollution - such as a fire or chemical or oil spills
Incidents are classified by potential impact as:
- routine
- serious
- severe
- major
Following investigation, these incidents may mean that food or feed must be either:
- 'withdrawn' - removed from sales and taken off the shelves
- 'recalled' - removed from sales and customers asked to return the product
See more on food withdrawals and recalls.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-food-incident
Links
How to report a food or animal feed incident
Who to contact and how to report suspected unsafe food or feed.
A 'food incident' is when there are concerns about the safety of a food (or animal feed) product and action may need to be taken to protect consumers. See what is a food incident.
You can report a food or animal feed incident to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through their incident report form.
You can also contact the FSA Northern Ireland on Tel 0330 332 7149 or by email at fsa.incidentsni@food.gov.uk.
Food crime, which is fraud affecting the safety or authenticity of food, drink or animal feed, is different to food incidents. For more information, see how to report food fraud and read more about food crime.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-or-animal-feed-incident
Links
How to report food fraud
Process of reporting mislabelling, substitution and other types of food fraud to the Food Standards Agency.
Food crime is deliberate fraud in food, drink or feed supply chains. There are many different types of food crime, including:
- theft
- illegal processing
- adulteration or substitution
- waste diversion
- document fraud
- misrepresentation - ie marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness
Reporting food crime
If you are a whistleblower or a member of the public wishing to report a food crime, you can contact the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) confidential hotline on Tel 0800 028 11 80.
Alternatively, you can report a food safety concern online.
Local authorities are responsible for cases of poor food hygiene where there is no deliberate dishonesty or intention to deceive customers.
If you decide to report food fraud by whistleblowing, public interest disclosure law protects you from unfair treatment from your employer.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-fraud
Links
Food withdrawals and recalls
How to plan and prepare for carrying out food withdrawal and recalls in case you experience a food incident.
If a food incident happens, you may need to recall or withdraw a food product. It is important to plan ahead and have procedures in place so you can act quickly if a recall or withdrawal is required.
What are food withdrawals and recalls?
A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers.
A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Withdrawals and recalls guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced guidance to explain what the law requires and what businesses need to do if they experience a food incident. The guidance includes advice and best practice on:
- traceability systems
- making a decision on carrying out a withdrawal or recall
- roles and responsibilities
- how to inform consumers of a food recall
Find the FSA's guidance on food raceability, withdrawals and recalls within the UK food industry. Additional resources are also available to help you carry out a recall, including sample decision logs, notification templates, best practice examples and more.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-withdrawals-and-recalls
Links
Food safety alerts
Overview of the different types of food alerts, how to deal with them and where to get help.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues food alerts to warn about food safety risks. These alerts go to consumers, local councils and port authorities.
Types of food alert
There are different types of alerts:
- Food Alert for Action (FAFA) is issued where intervention by enforcement authorities is needed. These notices are often issued in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall.
- Product Recall Information Notice (PRIN) makes the public aware an unsafe food product is being removed from the supply chain, and advises them to take appropriate action (for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food).
- Allergy Alert (AA) tells the public that a product has missing or incorrect allergen labelling.
Businesses should check the FSA’s alerts regularly. You can also subscribe to get food and allergy alerts by email or text message.
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
The RASFF is an EU network for sharing urgent information about unsafe food or animal feed. EU member states use it to alert each other quickly about risks, such as contamination or unfit products, so they can take action like recalls.
The UK is no longer a full RASFF member but the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets up information exchange on food safety. The FSA receives relevant RASFF notifications in real time and turns them into UK-specific alerts, so UK businesses can see relevant threats without direct EU access.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-safety-alerts
Links
How to prevent and manage food risks and incidents
Put measures in place to prevent food and feed incidents, and minimise food safety risks.
Businesses must ensure safe food practices concerning their products, premises and working conditions.
This is the best way to prevent cases of food crime and minimise food and feed incidents.
Responsibility of food and feed businesses
Food and feed business operators in Northern Ireland must comply with the relevant hygiene regulations. They must put in place a food hygiene system based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
HACCP advises you to:
- conduct a hazard analysis
- identify critical control points
- set monitoring for critical control points
- establish critical limits
- plan corrective actions
- keep relevant records
- establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
With these procedures in place, you can set up critical control points, or key actions that can be taken to prevent further hazards. Use the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) safe catering pack for small businesses.
If a food or feed safety incident occurs
Where you have experienced a food or feed safety incident, you should conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) to understand how and why it happened. It will help you identify actions to prevent future incidents.
You can use the results of the RCA to review how you manage food safety and hygiene in your food business. This includes traceability, withdrawal and recall of unsafe food.
To help businesses understand RCA, the FSA has developed a Root Cause Analysis e-learning course.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-prevent-and-manage-food-risks-and-incidents
Links
Whistleblowing in the food industry
Overview of food regulation and legislation
An overview of the laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidance for running a food business.
Food law is made up of legislation, codes of practice and guidance that regulate all stages of the food chain. These controls apply whether food is produced domestically or imported, and are designed to ensure consistency and safety from farm to fork.
Food regulation covers:
- production
- processing
- packaging and labelling
- importing
- distribution
- retailing and catering
Understanding how these rules fit together helps businesses identify which requirements apply to their activities and where to seek further guidance.
The Food Standards Act 1999
The Food Standards Act gives the Food Standards Agency (FSA) its statutory functions and enforcement powers. The agency’s role is to protect public health and consumers' interests in relation to food. It also works to ensure that food regulation is applied consistently and proportionately, and that businesses are not burdened by excessive or unclear regulations.
General food law
The main general food legislation applying in Northern Ireland includes:
- the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, which provides the framework for food legislation in Northern Ireland and creates offences in relation to safety, quality and labelling
- the General Food Law Regulation (EC), which creates general principles and requirements of food law
- the Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland)
- the EU Food Hygiene Regulations
There are also specific regulations covering:
- feed hygiene for businesses placing food materials into animal feed - Feed Hygiene Regulations
- food information for consumers, including allergen labelling - Food Information for Consumers
- chemical safety, including contaminants, approved additives and food supplements
Under current arrangements, food products placed on the Northern Ireland market continue to follow EU food law. The Windsor Framework allows certain Great Britain standards to apply to qualifying retail goods moved to NI under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.
Responsibilities for food businesses
Food law places clear responsibilities on food business operators, regardless of size or type of business. These duties are intended to ensure food is safe, accurately described and suitable for consumption at every stage of the food chain.
Under the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, food businesses must make sure that:
- nothing is included in food, removed from food, or food is not treated in any way that would harm the health of people eating it
- food is of the nature, substance and quality that consumers would reasonably expect
- food is labelled, advertised and presented in a way that is not false or misleading
Under the General Food Law Regulation, food businesses must:
- ensure food is safe and not harmful to health or unfit to eat
- ensure labelling, advertising and presentation of food do not mislead consumers
- be able to identify suppliers and business customers, known as traceability
- withdraw unsafe food from the market and inform the authorities of this
- keep appropriate records
If unsafe food has reached customers, businesses must tell them why the food is being withdrawn and, if needed, recall it to protect health. This usually happens when other steps, like withdrawal from sale, are not enough.
Food hygiene legislation affects all food businesses. Core EU food hygiene regulations cover:
- hygiene of foodstuffs
- general hygiene requirements for food premises
- businesses products of animal origin
- products of animal origin intended for human consumption
- verification of compliance with feed, food, animal health and animal welfare law
Animal feed regulations
Food businesses placing food materials into the animal feed chain play an important role in protecting animal health and food safety further along the supply chain. These businesses must:
- register as a feed business operator (before operating)
- only supply feed materials to other registered feed business operators
- follow written procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles for feed production
Registration covers activities like manufacturing, storing, transporting or selling feed materials. Written procedures should be proportionate to the size and nature of the business, but must clearly show how feed safety risks are controlled and how problems would be identified and addressed. Learn more about feed safety laws.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/overview-food-regulation-and-legislation
Links
Food law enforcement agencies
How central government enforcement agencies work with local councils to enforce food laws and regulations.
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.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-law-enforcement-agencies
Links
Enforcement of food laws
The Framework Agreement outlines the remit of the Food Standards Agency to supervise and monitor local authority enforcement.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with local council environmental health officers and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to ensure food and animal feed law is applied consistently across the food chain. This relationship is set out in the Framework Agreement.
The Framework Agreement
The Framework Agreement allows the FSA to monitor and guide local council enforcement of food law. It provides for:
- local council service plans
- agreed enforcement standards
- enhanced data monitoring
- audit arrangements to identify possible improvements
Local councils must follow the Food Law Code of Practice. In Northern Ireland, DAERA is responsible for enforcing Feed Law Enforcement guidance and official controls.
Powers of local enforcement officers
Local enforcement officers have wide powers to protect public health. These powers can be used to prevent risks from escalating and deal with serious breaches.
Local enforcement officers can:
- inspect any stage of food production, manufacturing, distribution and retail
- enter premises and seize and detain foods
- take food samples for testing to ensure compliance
- take action against businesses that do not comply with food law
Local authorities also investigate food complaints and can issue:
- warnings
- improvement notices
- remedial action notices
- prohibition notices
Most enforcement action begins with advice or improvement notices. Prosecution is generally reserved for serious breaches, repeated non-compliance or where there is a significant risk to public health. The courts can impose heavy penalties for not complying with food laws, including closing the business if conditions are particularly bad.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/enforcement-food-laws
Links
Food Law Code of Practice
How codes of practice regulate the way local councils apply food law in Northern Ireland.
The Food Law Code of Practice for Northern Ireland sets out how local councils must enforce food law and how they should work with food business operators. Local councils must follow all relevant provisions of the code when carrying out enforcement activity.
The code is regularly reviewed and updated to:
- reflect changes in legislation
- reduce unnecessary administrative burdens
- maintain standards of public health and consumer protection
Recent revisions of the code introduced a more risk-based approach, allowing councils to focus resources on food businesses that pose the greatest risk.
Food Law Practice Guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues Food Law Practice Guidance to support enforcement officers. The guidance is not legally binding, but provides advice on:
- administrative matters
- enforcement tools such as prohibition and improvement notices
- inspection and monitoring activity
- establishments handling specific products, such as fresh meat or shellfish
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-law-code-practice
Links
Food hygiene legislation
An outline of the food hygiene regulations that apply to all food businesses throughout the whole food chain.
All food businesses must follow food hygiene rules. How these rules apply depends on the size, nature and activities of the business.
Food premises registration
You must register any premises used for your food business with your local council. Some premises must also be approved, including those handling:
- meat and meat products
- eggs and egg products
- milk and dairy products
- fish and fish products
Register your food premises with your local council.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
All food businesses, except primary producers, must have food safety procedures based on the HACCP principles.
HACCP focuses on identifying the ‘critical points’ where food safety risks (or hazards) occur and putting controls in place to prevent problems before they happen. These controls can vary depending on the size of the business and its activities, but you must be able to show how food safety is managed.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) publishes guidance for caterers and retailers in Northern Ireland to help them implement food safety management procedures based on HACCP. Local council environmental health service can also provide advice.
Food hygiene training and supervision
Anyone who handles food must be supervised, instructed and/or trained in food hygiene to a level appropriate to their work. Training does not always require formal courses or qualifications. Food handlers can acquire the skills through on-the-job training, self-study or previous experience.
Microbiological criteria for foodstuffs
Microbiological criteria legislation sets legal limits for harmful bacteria (like Salmonella or Listeria) in specific foods. It applies to food businesses involved in producing and handling food, and can be used to verify food safety management procedures and assess the acceptability of food and processes in manufacturing, handling and distribution. Sampling and testing should be based on risk and reflect the nature of the business.
Northern Ireland food businesses must comply with Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005, which sets legal limits for micro-organisms in food products. Under the Windsor Framework, EU food law remains fully applicable in Northern Ireland, meaning these standards apply even though they may differ from those in Great Britain.
A significant amendment will apply in Northern Ireland from 1 July 2026, under Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2895, which will significantly tighten the food safety criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods throughout the shelf life of the product.
For detailed advice on your specific food category, you should contact your local council environmental health service.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-hygiene-legislation
Links
Whistleblowing in the food industry
How whistleblowers are protected from victimisation by their employer if they make a qualifying disclosure.
Whistleblowing allows workers to report wrongdoing in the public interest. The Public Interest Disclosure Act protects workers from unfair treatment or victimisation by their employer if they make a 'qualifying disclosure'.
Qualifying disclosures for whistleblowing
A disclosure is protected if it relates to:
- a criminal offence
- a breach of a legal obligation
- a miscarriage of justice
- a danger to the health and safety of any individual
- damage to the environment
- a deliberate attempt to cover up any one of the above
The worker must reasonably believe that this wrongdoing is happening now, happened before, or is likely to happen in the future. Read more on qualifying disclosures for whistleblowing.
Qualifying disclosures to the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Disclosures to the FSA are protected where the worker:
- makes the report in good faith
- reasonably believes the food issue affects public health or consumer issues
- considers the information/allegation substantially true
The FSA will make every effort to protect the whistleblower’s identity and make sure they don't face any retaliation for raising a valid food safety concern.
Making a disclosure
If you work in the food industry and you want to make a disclosure about food safety, you can:
- call the Food Crime Confidential hotline on Tel 0800 028 11 80
- report a food crime online
- contact the FSA Food Fraud Liaison Officer on Tel 028 9041 7700
The FSA's policy on whistleblowing explains how you will be protected from detrimental treatment or victimisation by your employer under the Public Interest Disclosures Act.
Other ways to make a disclosure
The whistleblowing charity Protect provides free confidential advice to workers who have concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/whistleblowing-food-industry
Links
Food crime
Types of food crime including theft, adulteration and document fraud and how to report a food crime confidentially.
Food crime is serious fraud that affects the safety or the authenticity of food, drink or animal feed. It ranges from individual acts of dishonesty to organised illegal activity by criminal networks. It can harm consumers, legitimate food businesses and the wider food industry.
Types of food crimes
The main types of food crime include:
- theft - dishonestly obtaining food, drink or feed products to profit from their use or sale
- unlawful processing - slaughtering or preparing meat and related products in unapproved premises or using unauthorised techniques
- waste diversion - illegally diverting food, drink or feed meant for disposal, back into the supply chain
- adulteration - including a foreign substance which is not on the product's label to lower costs or fake a higher quality
- substitution - replacing a food or ingredient with another substance that is similar but inferior
- misrepresentation - marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness
- document fraud - making, using and possessing false documents with the intent to sell or market a fraudulent or substandard product
Preventing food crime
Preventing food crime protects your customers, reputation and profits. Criminals target food businesses to adulterate products, fake labels or sell unsafe imports, which can lead to recalls, fines or closures.
Take these steps to help prevent food crime:
- assess your supply risks
- check your suppliers' paperwork, traceability records and premises
- watch high-risk items like meat, fish and dairy
- train staff to spot issues such as adulteration, false labelling and tampering
- report suspicions to relevant agencies
These measures can also help you demonstrate due diligence if issues arise.
The Food Standard Agency's National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works to prevent, detect and investigate food crime across the UK. They work with food businesses to make operations hostile to criminals, helping them to identify risks and put safeguards in place. You can use their free self-assessment tool to check your vulnerability and build resilience to food crime.
Reporting food crime
You can report food crime by calling NFCU's Food Crime Confidential on Tel 0800 028 11 80. Alternatively, you can report a food crime online.
In Northern Ireland, you can report to the FSA by emailing fsa.incidentsni@food.gov.uk or calling Tel 028 9041 7700 and asking to speak with the Food Fraud Liaison Officer.
Where there is no deliberate dishonesty or intention to deceive, you should report food safety concerns to the relevant local council instead.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-crime
Links
How to prevent and manage food risks and incidents
What is a food incident?
Overview of food and feed incidents, and definitions of health and safety in food and feed.
A food incident happens when there are concerns about the safety of a food or animal feed product and action may need to be taken to protect people or animals.
What is unsafe food or feed?
Food is 'unsafe' if it is harmful to health or unfit to eat. Food that is unfit includes food that doesn't meet quality standards, but isn't necessarily harmful to health.
Animal feed is unsafe if it has a direct adverse effect on human or animal health, or makes edible animal products unsafe to eat.
Reporting unsafe food
You must report unsafe food or feed to the relevant authorities, even if you no longer hold them. The relevant authorities may include:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA) - for food
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) - for feed
It may also be a good idea to inform your trade association.
Types of food incidents
The FSA defines a food incident as any event where there are concerns about the safety, quality or integrity of food or feed, that could need action to protect consumers.
The main categories of incidents are:
- contamination during processing, distribution, retail or catering
- incorrect food labelling - such as missing allergens on a food label
- environmental pollution - such as a fire or chemical or oil spills
Incidents are classified by potential impact as:
- routine
- serious
- severe
- major
Following investigation, these incidents may mean that food or feed must be either:
- 'withdrawn' - removed from sales and taken off the shelves
- 'recalled' - removed from sales and customers asked to return the product
See more on food withdrawals and recalls.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-food-incident
Links
How to report a food or animal feed incident
Who to contact and how to report suspected unsafe food or feed.
A 'food incident' is when there are concerns about the safety of a food (or animal feed) product and action may need to be taken to protect consumers. See what is a food incident.
You can report a food or animal feed incident to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through their incident report form.
You can also contact the FSA Northern Ireland on Tel 0330 332 7149 or by email at fsa.incidentsni@food.gov.uk.
Food crime, which is fraud affecting the safety or authenticity of food, drink or animal feed, is different to food incidents. For more information, see how to report food fraud and read more about food crime.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-or-animal-feed-incident
Links
How to report food fraud
Process of reporting mislabelling, substitution and other types of food fraud to the Food Standards Agency.
Food crime is deliberate fraud in food, drink or feed supply chains. There are many different types of food crime, including:
- theft
- illegal processing
- adulteration or substitution
- waste diversion
- document fraud
- misrepresentation - ie marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness
Reporting food crime
If you are a whistleblower or a member of the public wishing to report a food crime, you can contact the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) confidential hotline on Tel 0800 028 11 80.
Alternatively, you can report a food safety concern online.
Local authorities are responsible for cases of poor food hygiene where there is no deliberate dishonesty or intention to deceive customers.
If you decide to report food fraud by whistleblowing, public interest disclosure law protects you from unfair treatment from your employer.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-fraud
Links
Food withdrawals and recalls
How to plan and prepare for carrying out food withdrawal and recalls in case you experience a food incident.
If a food incident happens, you may need to recall or withdraw a food product. It is important to plan ahead and have procedures in place so you can act quickly if a recall or withdrawal is required.
What are food withdrawals and recalls?
A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers.
A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Withdrawals and recalls guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced guidance to explain what the law requires and what businesses need to do if they experience a food incident. The guidance includes advice and best practice on:
- traceability systems
- making a decision on carrying out a withdrawal or recall
- roles and responsibilities
- how to inform consumers of a food recall
Find the FSA's guidance on food raceability, withdrawals and recalls within the UK food industry. Additional resources are also available to help you carry out a recall, including sample decision logs, notification templates, best practice examples and more.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-withdrawals-and-recalls
Links
Food safety alerts
Overview of the different types of food alerts, how to deal with them and where to get help.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues food alerts to warn about food safety risks. These alerts go to consumers, local councils and port authorities.
Types of food alert
There are different types of alerts:
- Food Alert for Action (FAFA) is issued where intervention by enforcement authorities is needed. These notices are often issued in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall.
- Product Recall Information Notice (PRIN) makes the public aware an unsafe food product is being removed from the supply chain, and advises them to take appropriate action (for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food).
- Allergy Alert (AA) tells the public that a product has missing or incorrect allergen labelling.
Businesses should check the FSA’s alerts regularly. You can also subscribe to get food and allergy alerts by email or text message.
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
The RASFF is an EU network for sharing urgent information about unsafe food or animal feed. EU member states use it to alert each other quickly about risks, such as contamination or unfit products, so they can take action like recalls.
The UK is no longer a full RASFF member but the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets up information exchange on food safety. The FSA receives relevant RASFF notifications in real time and turns them into UK-specific alerts, so UK businesses can see relevant threats without direct EU access.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-safety-alerts
Links
How to prevent and manage food risks and incidents
Put measures in place to prevent food and feed incidents, and minimise food safety risks.
Businesses must ensure safe food practices concerning their products, premises and working conditions.
This is the best way to prevent cases of food crime and minimise food and feed incidents.
Responsibility of food and feed businesses
Food and feed business operators in Northern Ireland must comply with the relevant hygiene regulations. They must put in place a food hygiene system based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
HACCP advises you to:
- conduct a hazard analysis
- identify critical control points
- set monitoring for critical control points
- establish critical limits
- plan corrective actions
- keep relevant records
- establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
With these procedures in place, you can set up critical control points, or key actions that can be taken to prevent further hazards. Use the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) safe catering pack for small businesses.
If a food or feed safety incident occurs
Where you have experienced a food or feed safety incident, you should conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) to understand how and why it happened. It will help you identify actions to prevent future incidents.
You can use the results of the RCA to review how you manage food safety and hygiene in your food business. This includes traceability, withdrawal and recall of unsafe food.
To help businesses understand RCA, the FSA has developed a Root Cause Analysis e-learning course.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-prevent-and-manage-food-risks-and-incidents
Links
How to report food fraud
What is a food incident?
Overview of food and feed incidents, and definitions of health and safety in food and feed.
A food incident happens when there are concerns about the safety of a food or animal feed product and action may need to be taken to protect people or animals.
What is unsafe food or feed?
Food is 'unsafe' if it is harmful to health or unfit to eat. Food that is unfit includes food that doesn't meet quality standards, but isn't necessarily harmful to health.
Animal feed is unsafe if it has a direct adverse effect on human or animal health, or makes edible animal products unsafe to eat.
Reporting unsafe food
You must report unsafe food or feed to the relevant authorities, even if you no longer hold them. The relevant authorities may include:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA) - for food
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) - for feed
It may also be a good idea to inform your trade association.
Types of food incidents
The FSA defines a food incident as any event where there are concerns about the safety, quality or integrity of food or feed, that could need action to protect consumers.
The main categories of incidents are:
- contamination during processing, distribution, retail or catering
- incorrect food labelling - such as missing allergens on a food label
- environmental pollution - such as a fire or chemical or oil spills
Incidents are classified by potential impact as:
- routine
- serious
- severe
- major
Following investigation, these incidents may mean that food or feed must be either:
- 'withdrawn' - removed from sales and taken off the shelves
- 'recalled' - removed from sales and customers asked to return the product
See more on food withdrawals and recalls.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-food-incident
Links
How to report a food or animal feed incident
Who to contact and how to report suspected unsafe food or feed.
A 'food incident' is when there are concerns about the safety of a food (or animal feed) product and action may need to be taken to protect consumers. See what is a food incident.
You can report a food or animal feed incident to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through their incident report form.
You can also contact the FSA Northern Ireland on Tel 0330 332 7149 or by email at fsa.incidentsni@food.gov.uk.
Food crime, which is fraud affecting the safety or authenticity of food, drink or animal feed, is different to food incidents. For more information, see how to report food fraud and read more about food crime.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-or-animal-feed-incident
Links
How to report food fraud
Process of reporting mislabelling, substitution and other types of food fraud to the Food Standards Agency.
Food crime is deliberate fraud in food, drink or feed supply chains. There are many different types of food crime, including:
- theft
- illegal processing
- adulteration or substitution
- waste diversion
- document fraud
- misrepresentation - ie marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness
Reporting food crime
If you are a whistleblower or a member of the public wishing to report a food crime, you can contact the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) confidential hotline on Tel 0800 028 11 80.
Alternatively, you can report a food safety concern online.
Local authorities are responsible for cases of poor food hygiene where there is no deliberate dishonesty or intention to deceive customers.
If you decide to report food fraud by whistleblowing, public interest disclosure law protects you from unfair treatment from your employer.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-report-food-fraud
Links
Food withdrawals and recalls
How to plan and prepare for carrying out food withdrawal and recalls in case you experience a food incident.
If a food incident happens, you may need to recall or withdraw a food product. It is important to plan ahead and have procedures in place so you can act quickly if a recall or withdrawal is required.
What are food withdrawals and recalls?
A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers.
A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Withdrawals and recalls guidance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced guidance to explain what the law requires and what businesses need to do if they experience a food incident. The guidance includes advice and best practice on:
- traceability systems
- making a decision on carrying out a withdrawal or recall
- roles and responsibilities
- how to inform consumers of a food recall
Find the FSA's guidance on food raceability, withdrawals and recalls within the UK food industry. Additional resources are also available to help you carry out a recall, including sample decision logs, notification templates, best practice examples and more.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-withdrawals-and-recalls
Links
Food safety alerts
Overview of the different types of food alerts, how to deal with them and where to get help.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issues food alerts to warn about food safety risks. These alerts go to consumers, local councils and port authorities.
Types of food alert
There are different types of alerts:
- Food Alert for Action (FAFA) is issued where intervention by enforcement authorities is needed. These notices are often issued in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall.
- Product Recall Information Notice (PRIN) makes the public aware an unsafe food product is being removed from the supply chain, and advises them to take appropriate action (for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food).
- Allergy Alert (AA) tells the public that a product has missing or incorrect allergen labelling.
Businesses should check the FSA’s alerts regularly. You can also subscribe to get food and allergy alerts by email or text message.
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
The RASFF is an EU network for sharing urgent information about unsafe food or animal feed. EU member states use it to alert each other quickly about risks, such as contamination or unfit products, so they can take action like recalls.
The UK is no longer a full RASFF member but the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets up information exchange on food safety. The FSA receives relevant RASFF notifications in real time and turns them into UK-specific alerts, so UK businesses can see relevant threats without direct EU access.
Developed withAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/food-safety-alerts
Links
How to prevent and manage food risks and incidents
Put measures in place to prevent food and feed incidents, and minimise food safety risks.
Businesses must ensure safe food practices concerning their products, premises and working conditions.
This is the best way to prevent cases of food crime and minimise food and feed incidents.
Responsibility of food and feed businesses
Food and feed business operators in Northern Ireland must comply with the relevant hygiene regulations. They must put in place a food hygiene system based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
HACCP advises you to:
- conduct a hazard analysis
- identify critical control points
- set monitoring for critical control points
- establish critical limits
- plan corrective actions
- keep relevant records
- establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
With these procedures in place, you can set up critical control points, or key actions that can be taken to prevent further hazards. Use the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) safe catering pack for small businesses.
If a food or feed safety incident occurs
Where you have experienced a food or feed safety incident, you should conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) to understand how and why it happened. It will help you identify actions to prevent future incidents.
You can use the results of the RCA to review how you manage food safety and hygiene in your food business. This includes traceability, withdrawal and recall of unsafe food.
To help businesses understand RCA, the FSA has developed a Root Cause Analysis e-learning course.
Developed withActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-prevent-and-manage-food-risks-and-incidents
Links