FSA plans new scrutiny of England’s biggest retailers
The 10 national retailers that sell more than 97% of food bought in shops would face new national oversight in England, the Food Standards Agency said.
The Food Standards Agency Board has backed plans to introduce national scrutiny of England’s largest food retailers alongside more support for local food safety teams, the agency has said.
Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, said the system that protects food had “served us well for many years”, but that the way people buy, sell and produce food “has changed enormously”.
“Local authority food teams are the backbone of food safety in this country,” Jebb added. “Their expertise and deep knowledge of the businesses and communities they serve is irreplaceable.”
More than 99.5% of UK food businesses are micro, small or medium-sized, but over 97% of food sold in shops comes from 10 national retailers with extensive global supply chains, the agency said.
The government asked the FSA in the autumn 2025 Budget to develop proposals for a national system of regulation for large food businesses in England, starting with major retailers.
A recent trial with retailers showed that scrutinising their supply-chain data could help identify food safety risks at a systemic level, alongside checks on the ground, the FSA said.
Jebb said the Board was “confident” its proposals could strengthen food safety “as a whole”, keeping local regulation for most businesses while adding national scrutiny for “a handful of very large businesses”, in line with the government’s wider ambitions for growth and for “decision-making at a local level by default”.
Jebb said the agency had engaged with more than 1,200 stakeholders “across the UK” to better understand the challenges facing the current system, and that the feedback would inform the plans as they moved into the next phase of design.
Jebb said: “I’ll continue to engage with ministers, who will make the final decision on proposals, to make sure our work aligns with their priorities. I’ll also talk with devolved governments and Food Standards Scotland, to make sure the programme reflects the needs of communities across the UK.”
The proposals include improving how food businesses register so there is a clearer picture of who is operating in the food system, giving local authority food teams more effective enforcement powers to tackle the root causes of poor food safety practices, and making it compulsory to display food hygiene ratings online across the UK and in shops and restaurants in England, the FSA said.
A technical advisory committee of local authority food teams, businesses and other partners will help develop the detail of the changes, the FSA said, with the programme returning to the Board in March 2027 with proposals for the whole system.
A public consultation is expected to follow later in 2027, the agency said.
Correction, 20 September 2026: An earlier version of the summary attributed the Board’s decision and the 97% figure to the agency’s Chair. Both come from the agency’s announcement.
