Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the Nutrition Labelling Team to issue a notification letter following a new application of a Food for Special Medical Purposes.

The legislation which governs foods for special medical purposes does not stipulate a timeframe for the Department, acting on behalf of the competent authority, to issue a notification letter. This letter confirms a Food Business Operator has notified the competent authority of placing a product on the market in compliance with the legislation.

The time taken to process an application and issue a notification letter will vary and may be longer where issues with product compliance with the legislation are identified. In such cases, the Department liaises with the Food Business Operator to ensure areas of non-compliance are addressed. The Department is currently processing 66 Foods for Special Medical Purposes notification applications.