Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of strengthening penalties for breaches of food law in reducing food fraud.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the competent authority for the Food Hygiene Regulations. The FSA Board has, on a number of occasions, highlighted its concern that the level of sanction imposed by the courts for food hygiene offences has not been sufficient to deter offending. The sentences imposed are often small when set against the potential profits to be accrued from non–compliance with the Regulations. The FSA would welcome the strengthening of penalties for breaches of the Food Hygiene Regulations.

The FSA is also keen to ensure that there is consistency in sentencing for food hygiene offences. They have approached the Office of the Sentencing Council and requested that they consider producing sentencing guidelines for food hygiene offences. They are currently working with officials from the Council, who are hoping to produce draft guidelines that can be put before the full Sentencing Council.