The Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (England) Regulations 2007

Title, commencement and applicationU.K.

1.  These Regulations—

(a)may be cited as the Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (England) Regulations 2007;

(b)come into force on 1^st March 2007; and

(c)apply in relation to England only.

InterpretationU.K.

2.—(1) In these Regulations-

“the Act” means the Food Safety Act 1990 M1;

“authorised officer” in relation to an enforcement authority, means any person (whether or not an officer of the authority) who is authorised by them in writing, either generally or specially, to act in matters arising under these Regulations;

F1...

“Directive 89/108” means Council Directive 89/108/EEC on the approximation of the laws of Member States relating to quick-frozen foodstuffs for human consumption M2;

“Directive 92/2” means Commission Directive 92/2/EEC laying down the sampling procedure and the Community method of analysis for the official control of the temperatures of quick-frozen foods intended for human consumption M3;

“enforcement authority” means the authority which, by virtue of regulation 9(5), is responsible for executing and enforcing these Regulations;

“food” has the meaning that it bears in Regulation 178/2002;

“food authority” has the meaning it bears by virtue of section 5(1) of the Act, except that it does not include the appropriate Treasurer referred to in section 5(1)(c) of the Act (which deals with the Inner Temple and Middle Temple);

“local distribution”, in relation to any product, means that part of the distribution chain in which the product is delivered to the point of placing on the market for retail purposes (such placing on the market to include placing on the market to a [F2mass caterer]);

[F3“mass caterer” has the meaning given by Article 2(2)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers;]

“placing on the market” has the meaning that it bears in Regulation 178/2002 and “placed on the market” and “place on the market” shall be construed accordingly;

“prepackaging” shall be construed in accordance with the definition of “prepacked” in [F4Article 2(2)(e) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers] but with the words “placed on the market” being substituted for the words “offered for sale”;

“quick-frozen foodstuff” means a product–

but does not include ice-cream or any other edible ice;

“Regulation 178/2002” means Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 of the European Parliament and the Council laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety;

“Regulation 37/2005” means Commission Regulation (EC) No. 37/2005 on the monitoring of temperatures in the means of transport, warehousing and storage of quick-frozen foodstuffs intended for human consumption M4;

“retail display cabinet” means any cabinet from which a quick-frozen foodstuff is placed on the market for retail purposes or in the course of a cash-and-carry business;

“specified Community provision” means any provision of Regulation 37/2005 that is specified in column 1 of Schedule 1 and whose subject-matter is described in column 2 of that Schedule; and

[F5“ultimate consumer” has the same meaning as “final consumer” in point 18 of Article 3 of Regulation 178/2002.]

(2) Unless the context otherwise requires, any expression used both in these Regulations and in Directive 89/108, Directive 92/2 or Regulation 37/2005 has the meaning that it bears in Directive 89/108, Directive 92/2 or Regulation 37/2005, as the case may be.

(3) Where any functions under the Act are assigned—

(a)by an order under section 2 or 7 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 M5, to a port health authority;

(b)by an order under section 6 of the Public Health Act 1936 M6, to a joint board for a united district; or

(c)by an order under paragraph 15(6) of Schedule 8 to the Local Government Act 1985 M7, to a single authority for a metropolitan country,

any reference in these Regulations to a food authority shall be construed, so far as relating to those functions, as a reference to the authority to whom they are so assigned.

Placing on the market of quick-frozen foodstuffsU.K.

3.  No person shall place a quick-frozen foodstuff on the market for human consumption unless the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 are satisfied in relation to it.

Packaging of quick-frozen foodstuffs intended for the ultimate consumerU.K.

4.  No person shall place any quick-frozen foodstuff intended for the ultimate consumer on the market unless—

(a)it has been packed by its manufacturer or packer in such prepackaging as is suitable to protect it from microbial and other forms of external contamination and against dehydration; and

(b)the quick-frozen foodstuff has remained in such prepackaging up to the time of placing on the market.

Marking or labelling of quick-frozen foodstuffsU.K.

5.—(1)  No person shall place on the market any food intended for the ultimate consumer or any [F6mass caterer] where its marking or labelling contravenes paragraph (2) or (3) and no person shall place on the market any food intended for any other person where its marking or labelling contravenes paragraph (2) or (4).

(2) The description “quick-frozen” or [F7its equivalent in any other language] shall only be used in the labelling for the purpose of the placing on the market of—

(a)a quick-frozen foodstuff; or

(b)a food which by virtue of that labelling becomes a quick-frozen foodstuff.

(3) A quick-frozen foodstuff intended for supply, without further processing, to the ultimate consumer or to a [F8mass caterer] shall, in addition to the description “quick-frozen” (and, as the intending supplier may see fit, [F9its equivalent in any other language]) added to its sales name, be marked or labelled on its packaging, container or wrapping, or on a label attached thereto, with-

(a)an indication of the date of minimum durability;

(b)an indication of the maximum period during which it is advisable to store it;

(c)an indication of-

(i)the temperature at which, and/or

(ii)the equipment in which,

it is advisable to store it;

(d)a reference allowing identification of the batch to which it belongs; and

(e)a clear message of the type “do not refreeze after defrosting”.

(4) Any other quick-frozen foodstuff shall, in addition to the description “quick-frozen” (and, as the supplier may see fit, [F10its equivalent in any other language]) added to its sales name, be marked or labelled on its packaging, container or wrapping, or on a label attached thereto, with-

(a)a reference allowing identification of the batch to which it belongs; and

(b)the name or business name and address of the manufacturer or packer, or of a person established within the [F11United Kingdom] who places that foodstuff on the market.

EquipmentU.K.

6.  Each food operator handling a quick-frozen foodstuff intended for placing on the market for human consumption shall ensure during each stage during which it is within his care and control that the equipment used in respect of that foodstuff is such as to ensure that no act or omission on his part would cause the placing on the market of the foodstuff for human consumption to contravene these Regulations.

Sampling and method of measuring temperaturesU.K.

7.  Where, further to an inspection, an authorised officer of an enforcement authority has reasonable grounds to believe that the temperatures that are being or have been maintained in respect of any quick-frozen foodstuff are not the temperatures prescribed for such foodstuff in paragraph 1(e) and (f) of Schedule 2, he shall further inspect such quick-frozen foodstuff and such temperatures in accordance with the provisions of Directive 92/2.

RecordsU.K.

8.  Each food operator handling a quick-frozen foodstuff shall at the request of an authorised officer of an enforcement authority make records required to be kept under Article 2 of Regulation 37/2005 available to that or another authorised officer of that authority.

Offences, penalties and enforcementU.K.

9.—(1) If any person contravenes or fails to comply with regulation 3, 4, 5(1), 6 or 8 he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), if any person contravenes or fails to comply with a specified Community provision he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(3) A person shall be considered not to have contravened or failed to comply with the first paragraph of Article 2.2 of Regulation 37/2005 if the requirements of Schedule 3 are complied with.

(4) A person shall be considered not to have contravened or failed to comply with any provision of Article 2 of Regulation 37/2005 if—

(a)the offence which would otherwise have been committed was in respect of a cold store facility with a capacity of less than 10m³ used for storing stock in retail outlets; and

(b)the air temperature in the cold store is measured by an easily visible thermometer.

(5) Each food authority shall execute and enforce these Regulations within its area.

Application of various provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990U.K.

10.  The following provisions of the Act shall apply for the purposes of these Regulations with the modification that any reference in those provisions to the Act or a Part of it shall be construed as a reference to these Regulations—

(a)section 3 (presumptions that food intended for human consumption);

(b)section 20 (offences due to fault of another person);

(c)section 21 (defence of due diligence) M8, with the modifications that subsections (2) to (4) shall apply in relation to an offence under regulation 9(1) consisting of a contravention or failure to comply with regulation 3, 4 or 5(1) as they apply in relation to an offence under section 14 or 15 and that in subsection 4(b) the references to “sale” shall be deemed to include references to “placing on the market”;

(d)section 30(8) (which relates to documentary evidence);

(e)section 33(1) (obstruction etc. of officers);

(f)section 33(2), with the modification that the reference to “any such requirement as is mentioned in subsection (1)(b) above” shall be deemed to be a reference to any such requirement as is mentioned in section 33(1)(b) as applied by sub-paragraph (e);

(g)section 35(1) (punishment of offences) M9, in so far as it relates to offences under section 33(1) as applied by sub-paragraph (e);

(h)section 35(2) and (3) M10, in so far as it relates to offences under section 33(2) as applied by sub-paragraph (f);

(i)section 36 (offences by bodies corporate);

(j)section 36A (offences by Scottish partnerships) M11;

(k)section 44 (protection of officers acting in good faith); and

(l)section 58(1) (which relates to territorial waters).

RevocationU.K.

11.  In so far as they apply in relation to England, the Quick-frozen Foodstuffs Regulations 1990 M12 are revoked.

[F12Transitional provisions: withdrawal from the EUU.K.

12.  For the purpose of regulation 9(1), a person is not considered to have contravened or failed to comply with regulation 5(1) if—

(a)a product does not comply with regulation 5(4)(b);

(b)the alleged contravention would relate to a product that was placed on the market on or after the day on which the Food and Feed Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2022 came into force and before [F131 January 2024]; and

(c)the matter constituting the alleged contravention would not have constituted a contravention of these Regulations as they applied immediately before IP completion day.]