Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is preparing Scottish Regulations to provide for the enforcement of a regulation which lays down detailed rules on the provision of food information to consumers, indicating the country of origin or place of provenance of a primary ingredient where it is not the same as the origin of the food as a whole.

The EU Implementing Regulation is directly applicable which means that food businesses are legally required to comply with its requirements.

A four-week public consultation is being used to provide stakeholders and interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the proposed approach on execution and enforcement of the new EU Implementing Regulation in Scotland and also the associated Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment.

FSS is seeking views on the proposal to include a transitional period in domestic legislation to clarify that businesses may continue to place food on the market which does not comply with the EU limits for trans fat added to food until 1st April 2021.

The consultation is available here and responses are required by 27th March 2020.

Food businesses are already required to provide information to consumers containing specific detail on origin and or provenance of food. Essentially, where the origin of a food is given and the origin of the primary ingredient is not the same, the EU Implementing Regulation requires either an indication of the origin of the primary ingredient or that it is different from the food itself.

However, it does not apply to protected food names (e.g. products with a "Protected Geographic Indication" or "Protected Designation of Origin") or a "Geographic Indication" such as certain alcoholic drinks.

In addition, EU Commission Regulations restrict the content of trans fats, other than trans fats naturally occurring in fat of animal origin, in food intended for the final consumer or retail, to no more than 2 grams per 100 grams of fat. The Scottish Regulations are needed to amend the Addition of Vitamins, Minerals and other Substances (Scotland) Regulation 2007 to clarify that foods non compliant with the trans fats limit can still be placed on the market until 1st April 2021