Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when planning started for the current consultation on a change in the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to allow unfortified flour to be used in certain circumstances; and whether the issue was raised during the 2013 Red Tape Challenge review of the Regulations.

The issue was considered during the 2013 Red Tape Challenge consultation, but an option to exempt flour used at lower levels was not supported by consultees at the time.

The current consultation was prompted by industry concern that new labelling rules introduced at the end of 2014, requiring those added fortificants to be labelled, would place producers at a disadvantage.

Supporting a world-leading UK food industry is a key priority for Government and it is committed to reducing red tape and helping business where it can without compromising public health.

The issue was raised prior to the 2013 decision and an option similar to what is now being proposed was included in the consultation but it was not supported by consultees at the time.