This Act: establishes Food Standards Scotland (FSS) as a body corporate and sets out its objectives with respect to food safety and hygiene; make specific provisions in relation to food and feed law; provides for administrative sanctions for non-compliance with food safety and standards law.
Food Standards Scotland is established as a body corporate. It shall, among other things: develop (and assist public bodies or office-holders to develop) policies; provide advice and assistance to public bodies or office-holders; to keep the public and users of animal feeding stuffs informed about significant matters which concern them about food and feeding stuffs; and monitor the performance of the authorities who enforce food law. FSS must comply with requests from the Scottish Ministers where reasonably practicable. FSS may issue guidance to the Scottish Ministers and Scottish public bodies about their general responsibilities for the control and management of food-borne disease.
The Act inserts new provisions into the Food Safety Act 1990 concerning food information defined by EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. The Scottish Ministers shall have the power to define food information law by Regulations. Authorised officers may issue a notice to detain food which contravenes food information law. Other new provisions create duties or food operators in respect of food information. The Act also grants powers to the Scottish Ministers to make Regulations in relation to animal feeding stuffs.