Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government will carry out a public consultation on bread composition, labelling and marketing.

The United Kingdom has high standards on the information provided on food labels. Existing food labelling rules make sure that food is produced safely and labelled effectively. This means people can make informed choices about the food they buy and consume. HM Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, and the Government Food Strategy sets out work that we will be taking forward on consumer information and transparency.

On 1^st September 2022, HM Government and devolved administrations jointly launched a public consultation seeking views on proposals to update and amend the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998. These regulations cover specific rules on composition and labelling for bread and flour.

The proposals are primarily focused on the requirements relating to the mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal flour. The proposals included in this consultation look at ways to make sure that the regulations lead to improved public health, support UK industry, assist enforcement authorities and protect consumers. The consultation remains live until 23^rd November 2022 and we would like to hear from anyone with an interest.