Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Future of Food Regulation programme on Wales.

The November 2025 Budget announcement included a request for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to develop a consistent national approach to the regulation of large food businesses in England.

The FSA Board formally established the programme in March 2026 and agreed its vision of delivering an effective, resilient, and trusted regulatory system that is fit for the future.

The Future of Food Regulation Programme will develop proposals to strengthen the system that keeps our food safe, to ensure it keeps pace with new and emerging food businesses and reflects how people buy and consume food today. Developing a consistent, national approach to the regulation of large food businesses in England is one part of the programme, which will also be looking at how small and medium businesses are regulated, so that the whole system remains effective, resilient, trusted, and fit for the future.

While the funding and mandate for this work are focused on England, the proposals will be developed in collaboration with stakeholders across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This includes taking account of the distinct legislative and regulatory frameworks that operate within each nation and understanding how proposed changes may interact with those different contexts.

The FSA is engaging with stakeholders in Wales, in line with the collaborative agreement between the FSA, local authorities in Wales, the Welsh Government, and the Welsh Local Government Association, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-review-and-reform-food-business-regulation-wales

Proposals that relate to devolved matters will be recommended to the Welsh ministers, supported by the appropriate evidence, including assessments of impacts.