Our contents this week:
- Retail, Food & Hospitality updates
- EU Updates
- Developments to watch
- For your information
Retail, Food & Hospitality updates
Government consults on relaxing restrictions on Trade Unions and industrial action: The Department for Business and Trade has launched a consultation titled ‘Making Work Pay: creating a modern framework for industrial relations’. Proposals include simplifying the amount of information unions are required to provide in industrial action notices, strengthening provisions to prevent unfair practices during the trade union recognition process, removing the 10-year ballot requirement on political funds, securing a mandate for negotiation and dispute resolution, extending the expiry of the strike mandate reducing the industrial action notice period, updating the law on repudiation and prior call and the enforcement mechanism for right of access. Responses are required by 2nd December. View >
Competition and Markets Authority acts re use of ‘Urgency’ as a promotional technique: The CMA has brought an action in the High Court under section 215 of the Enterprise Act 2002 over the use of ‘time clock’ selling methods creating a sense of urgency by Emma Group. Emma Group had failed to provide undertakings to satisfy CMA concerns. CMA maintains that the option of providing suitable assurances still remains open to the Emma Group. Part of the backdrop to this is that from April 2025 the CMA will have the power to impose fines of up to 10% of annual turnover on businesses that it believes have engaged in unfair commercial practices against which businesses will have a right of appeal.Consumer protection case > Press release >
House of Lords Select Committee calls for exclusion of HFSS businesses from formulation of food policy: The House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Select Committee has published a report ‘Recipe for Health – a plan to fix our broken food system’. Amongst the recommendations is the following: ‘The Government should exclude food businesses that derive more than a proportion of sales (to be defined by the Food Standards Agency) from less healthy products from any discussions on the formation of policy on food, diet and obesity prevention. This should also apply to the industry associations that represent these businesses and that the Government should devise and publish by the end of 2025 a code of conduct on ministerial and officials’ meetings (whether in-person or virtually) with food businesses, to be employed consistently across all government departments. The minutes of all such meetings should be published. UK Hospitality has commented that “It would eliminate a key partner that is, ultimately, responsible for delivering the Committee’s ambition to deliver a better food system. Parliament publication > UK Hospitality >
EU updates
EU Regulations:
- Setting maximum residue levels for plant protection product: thiacloprid >
European Food Safety Authority opinion:
- Feed additives:Camellia oleifera seed extract > endo-1,4-B-xylanase > fumaric acid >propionic acid >Salvia Officinalis essential oil >smoke flavouring extract >
- Pesticide risk assessments:elemental iron >pirimicarb >
- Novel foods: Saccharomyces cerevisiae > Schizochytrium limacinum oil >
- Food enzymes: Derived from Aspergillus niger >
- Food contaminants: Brominated phenols and derivatives >
Developments to watch
Climate Change Committee: Recommend to Government 81% emissions cut by 2030. The CCC > Friends of the Earth >
DEFRA: Publish update on Bluetongue virus outbreak: View > Guidance for livestock keepers >
Office for Product Safety and Standards: Issue warning to consumers re safety of Halloween costumes: View >
Competition and Markets Authority: Microeconomics unit launch package of initiatives with the intention of supporting growth.Full history > Growth programme >
Food Standards Agency: Appoint two businesses to supply meat inspectors and Official veterinarians. View >
Portman Group: Publish a review of alcohol labelling standards. View >
Food and Drink Federation: Launch sustainability strategy – Ambition 2030. View >
For your information
Non-food product safety alerts: Office for Product Safety and Standards >EU Safety Gate > US Consumer Product Safety Commission >
DEFRA: Issue press release on single use vapes ban from 1st June 2025: Government press release > WRAP >
Institute of Directors: Publish a new code of conduct for Directors:View >
Food and Drink Federation: Respond to appointment of EPR Producer Responsibility Organisation. View >
Department of Health and Social Care: Set out priorities for the UK Health Security Agency for 2024/2025. View >
