History of the Food Standards Office

The Food Standards Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network is a young institution. The milestones below record its establishment, the transition period that preceded it and the dates on which its rules take effect, and will be extended as the Office's programme comes into operation.

1. Before September 2026

   Food hygiene arranged by member organisations

   Before the Office existed, each member organisation of the Network applied its own food hygiene arrangements to the canteens, cafés, retailers and suppliers at its sites. Standards, record-keeping and labelling practice differed from site to site, there was no register of food businesses, and a customer who found unsafe food had no single point to which to report it.

2. 10 August 2026

   The transition period begins

   Member organisations began transferring their food hygiene functions, records and inspection staff to the Office in formation. Interim arrangements allowed businesses to register and inspections to continue while the Network's rules were drafted.

3. 14 August 2026

   First food alert under the interim arrangements

   A chilled dessert sold at Central Exchange and Southbank Terminal was recalled because milk was present but not declared on the label. It was the first of five alerts issued during the transition period, three of which concerned undeclared allergens.

4. 10 August to 5 September 2026

   Registration and inspection under interim arrangements

   By the close of the transition period 1,284 food businesses had been registered and 218 inspections carried out, of which 131 found the business compliant, 54 broadly compliant, 24 requiring improvement, 7 requiring urgent improvement and 2 resulting in prohibition until the matters found were put right.

5. 6 September 2026

   Office established

   The Food Standards Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network was formally established, with responsibility for food safety standards, labelling, inspection, the register of food businesses, and food alerts and recalls across the Network. The food safety rules took effect on the same day.

6. 6 September 2026

   Official website launched

   The Office launched food.gov.vin, carrying the food safety and labelling rules, guidance on registration and inspection, the register of alerts and recalls, the Office's statistics, and press releases in the Newsroom.

7. 6 September 2026

   Register opened, inspection programme and labelling rules published

   On the day of its establishment the Office opened the register of food businesses, with a deadline of 30 September 2026 for businesses already trading; published its inspection programme of 620 inspections and the five-point outcome scale; and published the labelling rules and the list of fourteen declarable allergens, to take effect on 1 December 2026.

8. 14 September 2026

   Inspection programme begins

   The Office's own inspections begin at Central Exchange and extend to Northgate Relay and Southbank Terminal on 21 September, Eastfield Campus on 28 September, Westbrook Distribution Site on 5 October and Meridian Court on 12 October 2026.

9. 1 October 2026

   Written allergen information for food sold loose

   Every business selling food loose, including restaurants, canteens and stalls, must be able to give written information on the declarable allergens in every dish.

10. 1 November 2026

    Display of inspection certificates

    Every inspected business must display the certificate recording its most recent outcome at the entrance to the premises.

11. 1 December 2026

    Labelling rules take effect

    All food labelled from this date must comply with the Network's labelling rules. Food labelled before this date under the former arrangements may be sold until 28 February 2027.

12. Forthcoming

    First quarterly statistical report

    The Office's first full quarterly report, covering the period from establishment to 31 December 2026, will be published in January 2027 and announced in the Newsroom, together with the outcome of the inspection programme and the position on registration after the 30 September deadline.

Announcements are published in the Newsroom. For the Office's present responsibilities, see About the Office; for its reporting on registrations, inspections and alerts, see Statistics.