The Future of Food Regulation Programme intends to develop proposals that will strengthen the system that keeps food safe.
The move follows the November 2025 Budget in which the FSA was asked to “develop a consistent, national approach in England for the regulation of large food businesses” such as supermarkets. It comes after a significant fall in resource across local authorities which currently regulate these companies.
While the FSA has been working with local authorities and businesses to modernise the regulatory assurance system and plug the gaps in these professions, it says it recognises these changes are not enough on their own.
Industry concerns
Over the past few years, the FSA has been gathering views from local authorities and businesses on potential for cost-recovery, explored challenges with the current registration system via a trial in Wales, and tested out a new approach to regulation via National Level Regulation (NLR) pilots with large supermarkets in England.
In May 2025, the FSA brought together more than 100 senior stakeholders across the sector to gain ideas on what a future regulatory system should look like. During this meeting, it was pushed for better digital infrastructure, more practical guidance for businesses and competent authorities; and asked to explore the role of third-party assurance and provide tailored support for small businesses.
Local authority environmental health teams had a broadly negative view of a national approach to regulation. They perceived a lack of evidence for this approach and were concerned about broader implications across regulatory services such as health and safety visits not being completed if the FSA becomes the national regulator or more acute resourcing challenges if the Primary Authority income model is disrupted.
They also raised concerns of the FSA moving to a model which would see it become a competent authority for large businesses. They posed the question ‘who will regulate the FSA?’ and raised concerns that a move to this model might exacerbate workforce challenges which are already acute in some local authorities.
Concerns over what data standards the FSA would adhere to were also heard by multiple stakeholders who stressed the importance of trust in data. There were questions around data ownership, integrity and access.
Questions were also raised over how the FSA could scope a model of national regulation for manufacturing and out of home sectors when it had not fully proved that the model could work in retail and doesn’t have a shared understanding and definition of what ‘out of home’ could encapsulate.
Businesses across sectors were clear that they would need to understand the cost associated with any new model and what the added value was for them. Worries over timelines were also highlighted by stakeholders, with concerns that competing demands and pressures might limit their ability to participate if changes are required in this parliament
While funding has been given to support the policy development for reform of the regulatory model in England, the FSA has said it wants to explore opportunities to improve the regulatory system across Northern Ireland and Wales. It is also working closely with colleagues in Food Standards Scotland, as it pursues a separate but parallel programme of reform to the food regulatory system in Scotland (SAFER).
Now the FSA Board has approved the framework, it will develop a detailed work plan due June 2026.
