What this covers
Why you need it
Parliament created it. The power to require it comes from Food Safety Act 1990.
What the Act carries
What our graph holds for Food Safety Act 1990 as a whole — the Act behind this licence, not the licence conditions themselves.
- Duties on businesses
- 18
- Penalties
- 20
- Exemptions
- 5
Duties on businesses under the Act
- Render food injurious to health s.7
- Knowingly breach a food‑safety notice s.9
- Fail to comply with an improvement notice s.10
- Knowingly contravene a food prohibition order s.11
- Knowingly breach an emergency prohibition notice or order s.12
- Contravene emergency control order or ignore direction s.13
… and 12 more business duties in the same Act.
What happens if you get it wrong
- Cause another person to commit a food safety offence 2 years imprisonment
- Contravene emergency control order or ignore direction 2 years imprisonment
- Corporate liability for food safety offences 2 years imprisonment
- Disclose confidential beet information without consent 2 years imprisonment
- Disclose trade secrets obtained during inspection 2 years imprisonment
… and 15 more penalties in the same Act.
Exemptions that may take you outside it
- Defence of due diligence for food businesses — The person took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the offence
- Emergency slaughter in Scotland exempt from unfitness deeming — Slaughter occurred outside a slaughterhouse due to accident, illness, or emergency
- Exemption from Magistrates’ Court appeal for specific food licences — Where regulations provide for an appeal to a specific tribunal instead of a court
- Publishers and advertisers exempt for ads received in good faith — The person's business is to publish or arrange for the publication of advertisements and they did not know or suspect …
- Water supply services exempt from food safety regulations — Supply of water to premises by a water undertaker, licensee, or private supply
Read our full dossier on Food Safety Act 1990
Who issues it
Your local council issues this. Councils apply the same statute but set their own fees, conditions and timescales.
Where to apply
Duty, penalty and exemption labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the enabling instrument, not the instrument itself. Fees, forms and conditions are set by the issuing authority — always check the linked source.