On 13 March 2025, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) shared some important ideas about how food businesses might help pay for food safety checks. They looked into what local councils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland think about this idea, and here’s what they found. 

Local councils in England and Wales were mostly in favour of a cost recovery system. They argued it could help keep food enforcement services up and running, as funding is becoming a real challenge. Councils pointed out that by providing advice and support to food businesses, they can actually help businesses save money. But right now, they’re heavily focused on essential tasks because of limited resources. Northern Ireland wasn’t as enthusiastic, though, and Scotland didn’t take part in the study. 

Possible Ways to Charge Food Businesses 

Cost recovery would mean food businesses pay for inspections or other food control services. The FSA explored a few different ways this might work: 

Fee for Intervention
Businesses might be charged based on how risky they are and how often they need inspections. Bigger, higher-risk businesses could pay more. A similar system is currently used for official checks in meat production. 

Fee for Registration
Right now, registering a food business is free. This could change to include a fee, possibly depending on the business’s size, risk level, and how well they follow the rules. 

Permit to Trade or Licence to Operate
This idea would involve food businesses meeting certain standards before they’re allowed to operate. It’s already a popular suggestion among many Environmental Health Officers. 

Fee for Fault
If a business doesn’t meet the law or the necessary standards, they’d pay for the time and expertise needed to fix the problem. This approach is already in place for health and safety checks. 

Things to Think About 

Introducing a system like this raises a few questions. For starters, would current laws support it? It might need new laws to be passed, which could take a while. The government would also have to make sure the changes balance keeping people safe while not placing too much burden on smaller businesses. 

Moving Forward 

This is still early days, so nothing’s been decided yet. There will be more conversations with councils, food businesses, and others to figure out the best approach. The FSA’s main focus is always food safety, but any solution will also need to consider fairness for food businesses and support the government’s goals for economic growth. 

The FSA’s report includes examples of other areas where cost recovery models are already working, such as licensing for dog kennels, taxis, and tattooing. 

Here at Food Alert, our Technical Advisory Board (TAB) will keep a close eye on this issue and take part in consultations when needed.