CIEH raises serious concerns over FSA’s National Level Regulation proposals

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the professional body and charity representing Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, today issued an open letter expressing significant concern over the Food Standards Agency (FSA)’s proposed National Level Regulation (NLR).

The proposals, set to be discussed in the upcoming FSA Board meeting on Wednesday 18 September, have raised concerns regarding consumer confidence, public health, transparency and the exclusion of key stakeholders from the consultation process.

Without proper scrutiny, there is a real danger that food safety controls could be weakened, placing public health at risk and undermining consumer confidence in how food is regulated or how their food safety concerns will be dealt with.

Read the full open letter here.

Fran McCloskey, Chief Executive Officer of CIEH, said:

“CIEH wants to ensure any regulatory changes maintain or improve our high food safety standards. Our open letter to the FSA Board clearly sets out our concerns.

We recognise the importance of regulatory modernisation, but we are concerned the lack of robust evidence and meaningful consultation with stakeholders may result in proposals that will not deliver for consumers.

CIEH stands ready to engage with the FSA and other stakeholders to ensure any proposed changes to the regulatory system are beneficial to the public’s health.”

Professor Chris Elliott OBE, Professor of Food Safety at Queen’s University Belfast and Vice President at CIEH said:

“The safety and integrity of our food supply chain are paramount to protecting public health. Any proposed changes to the regulatory framework must be underpinned by clear evidence and thorough consultation.

I am concerned that without careful consideration, these reforms could weaken the very systems we rely on to ensure food quality and safety.

We must not lose sight of the critical role that strong, local authority regulatory oversight plays in maintaining public trust in how we regulate food as well as safeguarding the well-being of consumers.”