The Food Standards Agency is seeking views on proposed changes to the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin to confirm they have been inspected and are fit for human consumption.
The letters ‘EU’ or ‘EC’ within the current marks will no longer be permitted when the UK leaves the EU. This change will impact on all approves establishments. To provide for this change, the FSA proposes to amend the current health and identification mark by removing the ‘EU’ or ‘EC’ prefix.
The dimensions and form of the current health and identification marks will remain the same, including the ‘UK’ abbreviation representing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It will continue to be a single mark incorporating the establishment approval number, which will also remain unchanged.
This update will ensure that UK products continue to display an appropriate label that clearly shows the product has been subject to the strict health and welfare checks that will continue after the UK leaves the EU.
The closing date for submissions is 27 August 2018.