Business information

Food - who does what?

The enforcement of food legislation is split between Trading Standards and Environmental Health.

Trading Standards deals with the description, labelling and composition of food: Environmental Health deals with the hygiene, contamination and fitness for human consumption. In Hertfordshire, Environmental Health is a District Council function.

Trading Standards deal with:

• misleading claims made about food e.g. 95% fat free
• Use by / best before dates
• misdescribed food content e.g. minced beef that has lamb in it
• vegetarian food that contains animal products
• improper use of additives

Environmental Health deal with:

• registration of food premises
• hygiene of food premises
• infestations e.g. cockroaches, rats
• mould or foreign matter in food e.g. glass in baby food
• food that is unfit for human consumption e.g. causes illness