Press Release ·
The Food Standards Office has been formally established and today launches its official website at food.gov.vin, where the rules for food safety and labelling, the inspection programme and the register of food businesses will be published.
Standards and services
- Food Safety
Hygiene requirements for food businesses, temperature controls and how to report a food safety concern.
- Labelling
The rules for labelling food sold in the Network, the list of declarable allergens and the compliance timetable.
- Inspection
How inspections are carried out, the scale of outcomes and the programme beginning on 14 September 2026.
- Registration
Every food business in the Network must be registered with the Office by 30 September 2026.
- Food Alerts and Recalls
Alerts issued by the Office, the register of recalls and the duties of a business withdrawing a product.
- Frequently asked questions
Who must register, what an inspection involves and what a label must show.
Latest announcements
All news- Food Standards Office Opens Register of Food Businesses
Every business that prepares, stores, distributes or sells food in the Network must be registered with the Office. Businesses operating before 6 September 2026 have until 30 September 2026 to register; new businesses must register at least 28 days before they begin trading.
- Food Standards Office Publishes Inspection Programme and Outcome Scale
Inspections of registered food businesses begin on Monday 14 September 2026. The Office's 26 authorised inspectors will carry out 620 inspections by the end of the year, and every inspected business will receive one of five outcomes on a published scale.
- Food Standards Office Publishes Labelling Rules and List of Declarable Allergens
The rules governing the labelling of food sold in the Network, including the list of fourteen allergens that must be declared, take effect on 1 December 2026. Stock labelled before that date may be sold until 28 February 2027.
About the Office
The Food Standards Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network is responsible for the safety of food prepared, stored, distributed and sold within the Velocity Interoperability Network.
It sets the hygiene and labelling standards that food businesses must meet, inspects those businesses, maintains the register of food businesses, and issues alerts and coordinates recalls when food is found to be unsafe.
Milestones
6 September 2026
Office established
Responsibility for food safety standards, labelling, inspection, registration of food businesses and food alerts across the Network.
6 September 2026
food.gov.vin launched
The food safety and labelling rules, guidance on registration and inspection, and the register of alerts and recalls published on the official website.
6 September 2026
Register, inspection programme and labelling rules announced
The register of food businesses opens, with a deadline of 30 September for existing businesses; inspections begin on 14 September; the labelling rules take effect on 1 December 2026.
Forthcoming
Display of inspection certificates and quarterly reporting
Businesses must display their inspection certificate from 1 November 2026. The Office's first full quarterly statistical report, covering the quarter ending 31 December 2026, will be announced in the Newsroom.