You can also view our Consumer Trends hub 2024 here.
Our contents this week:
Retail, Food & Hospitality updates
Best practice guidance published on allergen labelling for non-prepacked foods: The Food Standards Agency has published ‘voluntary’ best practice guidance for food businesses selling non-prepacked foods setting out best practice in allergen declaration including written information backed up by conversation. The approach set out in this document represents a change in best practice to meet the expectation for there to be both written allergen information and a conversation. The minimum legislative requirement for information to be provided by any means (with a sign indicating when it will be provided verbally) has not changed. The guidance has been welcomed by UK Hospitality. View >UK Hospitality >
Ministry of Justice consult on regulation of private prosecutors: Following the Horizon scandal the Ministry of Justice is consulting on a range of issues concerning private prosecutions. The consultation seeks views on how best to set consistent standards and ensure accountability to improve the behaviour and practice of prosecutors including potential introduction of a code of practice, establishing an inspection regime, and putting in place a system of accreditation for private prosecutors. The consultation also explores how the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) could be improved to ensure cases brought are in the public interest including ensuring prosecutors take reasonable steps to ascertain a defendant’s situation, including any vulnerabilities, before pursuing a prosecution that might lead to a criminal record. Responses required by 8th May 2025. View >
OFCOM prepare to assess online harm risk assessments: OFCOM have highlighted the first duty to come in to force under the Online Safety Act for businesses to submit their online harms assessments by 31st March. OFCOM has set out the approach that it intends to adopt in respect of assessment and enforcement.View >
Advertising watchdog rules against price claims used in teleshopping advertisement: The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against a number of comparative price claims used during a teleshopping promotion of Tahitian pearl earrings by Gemporium.Claims included “These aren’t even 11 mm […] from 11 to 12 mm the price doubles. Say from 10 to11mm, it’s going to be £1,500, and then you double it, it becomes £3,000 […].we could take these pearls, sell them on, for probably 10 times the price you’re going to get today, at least. We’re better than anyone else, if we times this price by 10, right now, £8,999 we’re still better, because these are a matched pair of 12 mm, so times that price by 10 and were still way better, in our opinion. Conceivably we could put a zero on that and we will still be market price.” View >
Call for relaxation of labelling rules for low and no alcohol drinks: The British Beer and Pub Association is calling for the current compositional and labelling rules for low and no alcohol products to be relaxed to promote growth in the market. Current rules restrict use of the term alcohol free / no alcohol to products containing not more than 0.05% alcohol by volume or less, dealcoholised to 0.5% volume or less and low alcohol to 1.2% volume or less.View >
EU updates
EU Regulations:
- Authorising or postponing the expiry dates of biocidal products: benzoic acid >etofenprox >orochemie >IPBC >
European Food Safety Authority opinions:
- Pesticide risk assessment: pyraclostrobin >
- Infant formula: protein hydrolysate from skimmed milk powder and whey protein concentrates >
Developments to watch
DEFRA Publish update on ongoing Avian flu Outbreak. View >
Supreme Court: Permission has been sought for the court to hear Interchange fees case ruled on by the European Court of Justice following Brexit. View >
Payment Systems Regulator: Publish report critical of card schemes and processing services. View > British Retail Consortium >
Gambling Commission: Consult on customer led deposit limits in force from 1st October. Responses required by 30th April. View >
DEFRA: Publish guidance on single use vapes ban from 1st June. View >
Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government: Publish white paper on ‘Commonhold’ property rights system. View >
Competition and Markets Authority: Highlight issue with restrictive land agreements, reducing competition, used by COOP. View > View >
Office for Product Safety and Standards:
Publish updated guidance:
On Primary Authority. The statutory guidance sets out essential detail for direct partnerships, co-ordinated partnerships, primary authorities, enforcing authorities, co-ordinators, and supporting national regulators. View >
On sustainable timber sourcing. View >
For your information
Non-food product safety alerts: Office for Product Safety and Standards >EU Safety Gate >US Consumer Product Safety Commission >
Appointments:
- Karen Graley, Chief Executive, Extended Producer Responsibility organisation (PRO). View >
- Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive, Medicines and Health care Regulatory Agency. View >
National Trading Standards: Issue warning of presence of nicotine in nicotine free vapes. View >
Department for Business and Trade: Publish revised guidance for officials on the Better regulation framework. View > View >
