As the local food authority, Trading Standards are required by the Food Safety Act 1990 to make sure that businesses comply with the law.
We ensure that businesses comply with the law in relation to:
- the labelling and advertising of food
- the composition of food (e.g. salt, sugar and fat levels)
- the nature, substance and quality of food
- false and misleading claims about food (e.g. "local", "home-made", "fresh", "organic", "free range")
If you are setting up a food business you need to register before opening or starting to use the premises.
Working with food manufacturers
If you are a food manufacturer in Suffolk we will work with you in the following ways:
- We provide advice and assistance to improve your production systems and ensure that your labels and food comply with the relevant legislation
- We carry out inspections to check that what is declared on your food labels is accurate (we check where raw materials are sourced as well as which ingredients, recipes and production methods are used)
- We take samples of ingredients and finished products for testing by a public analyst
If we find that something is wrong we will advise you on the steps that you need to take to resolve the problem.
In some circumstances we may take further enforcement action - this will be in line with our enforcement policy.
It is a legal requirement to provide allergen information to customers. You can find allergen advice on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website.
Business Companion: food and drink provides advice and guidance on what the law says on preparing and selling food and drink, including hygiene, composition, labelling and packing.
Business and industry advice from the FSA: The Food Standards Agency addresses food safety issues at every stage of the chain, providing information and guidance on best practice and legal requirements.
Inspections
Environmental Health carry out an inspection of your premises to ensure compliance with food safety law.
Trading Standards inspect your business to ensure that you meet food standards.
How to comply
For more information, businesses can use the editable Risk Assessment for Caterers (PDF, 616KB).
You can use the editable Food Risks for Caterers (PDF, 1.3MB) to record the name of the food and the allergens that it contains.
A Mandatory Food Information Checklist (PDF, 325KB) is available to assist food manufacturers.
The Food Standards Agency has provided further guidance that may be useful to food business operators:
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