Food Safety Bill

HC Deb 19 April 1990 vol 170 c971W

31. Mr. McAvoy

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to lay the first orders under the Food Safety Bill.

Mr. Maclean

The Food Safety Bill is very much an enabling framework and many orders and regulations will be required. I hope to issue the first of these for consultation soon after Royal Assent.

46. Mr. Michael Brown

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the regulations under the Food Safety Bill will cover diet products.

Mr. Maclean

At present foods marketed as diet products are subject to the general provisions of the Food Act 1984 and to regulations made under it. In particular, schedule 6, part II, item 6 of the Food Labelling Regulations 1984 lays down the conditions under which slimming claims may be made. Some slimming aids for consumption are marketed as medicines and are licensed under medicines legislation. It is intended that these arrangements should be continued under the Food Safety Bill, but my hon. Friend may wish to be aware that the definition of food is being extended in the Bill to includearticles and substances of no nutritional value". This is to make it entirely clear that all diet products fall within the scope of legislation.