UK Statutory Instrument 2013 United Kingdom

Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013

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At a glance

Enforced by

Local Authority, FSA, DEFRA

What's here

16 compliance obligations, 23 practical guides across 2 topics · 10 journeys

Penalty landscape

11 of 16 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 2 carry different penalties and 3 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 12
  • Operator 1
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 2 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

3 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

19 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides
View all 23 guides →

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Operators also bound by 125 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Schedules

Browse 2 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.010

Detention notices

2 years imprisonment
  • Fail to comply with a detention notice Any Person
s.015

Analysis etc. of samples

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Public analysts and examiners must test samples and provide certificates Statutory regulator
s.016

Powers of entry

2 years imprisonment
  • Disclose trade secret information obtained during inspection Any Person
s.019

Offences and penalties

2 years imprisonment
  • Fail to comply with EU food‑safety provisions Any Person
s.041

Review

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • FSA must review food hygiene regulations every five years Statutory regulator
Browse 23 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Local Authority

Primary

Local Authority (Environmental Health / Licensing / Planning)

Local councils enforce food safety (via Environmental Health Officers), issue alcohol licences, grant planning permission, and regulate certain business activities at local …

FSA

Food Standards Agency

Food safety and hygiene regulation across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Enforces food law, provides guidance to food businesses, investigates incidents. Approves …

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

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Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.