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Food Act 1984

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Food Act 1984 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 22 November 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Help about Changes to Legislation

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Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the affected provisions when you open the content using the Table of Contents below.

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Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:

  1. Introductory Text

  2. Part I Food Generally

    1. Composition and labelling of food

      1. 1. Offences as to preparation and sale of injurious foods.

      2. 2. General protection for purchasers of food.

      3. 3. Defences in proceedings under s. 2.

      4. 4.Regulations as to composition of food etc.

      5. 5.Ministers’ power to obtain particulars of ingredients.

      6. 6. Food falsely described.

      7. 7. Regulations as to describing food.

    2. Food unfit for human consumption

      1. 8. Sale etc. of unfit food.

      2. 9. Examination and seizure of suspected food.

      3. 10. Food as prizes etc.

      4. 11. Food in transit.

      5. 12. Products of knackers’ yards.

    3. Hygiene

      1. 13. Regulations as to food hygiene.

      2. 14. Court’s power to disqualify caterer.

      3. 15. Byelaws as to food.

    4. Registration of premises and licensing of vehicles

      1. 16. Registration: ice-cream, sausages etc.

      2. 17. Extension of s. 16 to other businesses.

      3. 18. Application for registration.

      4. 19. Refusal or cancellation of registration.

      5. 20. Regulations for licensing vehicles, stalls etc.

    5. Control of food premises

      1. 21. Closure order.

      2. 22. Emergency order.

      3. 23. Compensation.

      4. 24. Appeals.

      5. 25. Offences against food premises control.

      6. 26. Ships.

    6. Ice-cream, horseflesh and shellfish

      1. 27. Sale of ice-cream from stalls etc.

      2. 28. Prevention of spread of disease by ice-cream.

      3. 29. Sale of horseflesh.

      4. 30. Cleansing of shellfish.

    7. Food poisoning

      1. 31. Inspection and control of infected food.

  3. Part II Milk, Dairies and Cream Substitutes

    1. Milk and dairies

      1. 32. Meaning of “dairy”, “dairy farm” etc.

      2. 33. Milk and Dairies Regulations.

      3. 34. Registration.

      4. 35. Sale of milk from diseased cows.

      5. 36. Adulteration.

      6. 37. Appointment of veterinary inspectors.

    2. Special designations of milk, and their use

      1. 38. Milk (Special Designation) Regulations.

      2. 39. Restrictions.

    3. Compulsory use of special designations in specified areas, and licences for specified areas

      1. 40. Special designations: retail sales.

      2. 41. Special designations: catering.

      3. 42. Special designations: exemption.

      4. 43. Specified areas.

      5. 44. Milk processing facilities.

      6. 45. Breach of retailer’s licence.

      7. 46. Restriction on liability under s. 45.

      8. 47. Interpretation of ss. 39 to 46.

    4. Cream substitutes

      1. 48. Misuse of designation “cream”.

      2. 49. Reconstituted cream.

  4. Part III Markets

    1. 50. Establishment or acquisition.

    2. 51. Power to sell to local authority.

    3. 52. Market days and hours.

    4. 53. Charges.

    5. 54. Time for payment of charges.

    6. 55. Recovery of charges.

    7. 56. Prohibited sales in market hours.

    8. 57. Weighing machines and scales.

    9. 57A. Provision of cold stores.

    10. 58.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    11. 59. Information for market officer.

    12. 60. Market byelaws.

    13. 61. Interpretation of Part III, and exclusion of City of London.

  5. Part IV

    1. 62. Application of Part IV.

    2. 63. Public notice of application of Part IV.

    3. 64. Registration of food hawkers, and their premises.

    4. 65. Contravention of s. 64, and defence.

    5. 66. Application for registration.

    6. 67. Interpretation of Part IV, and exemptions.

  6. Part V Sugar Beet and Cold Storage

    1. Ministerial functions as to sugar beet

      1. 68. Research and education.

      2. 69. Crop price.

      3. 69A. Information.

    2. Cold storage

      1. 70. Provision of cold storage.

  7. Part VI Administration, Enforcement and Legal Proceedings

    1. Administration

      1. 71. Food and drugs authorities.

      2. 72. Local authorities for purposes of this Act.

      3. 73. Meaning of “authorised officer”.

      4. 74. Duty to enforce.

      5. 75. Joint boards.

    2. Sampling and analysis

      1. 76. Public analysts.

      2. 77. Facilities for examination.

      3. 78. Powers of sampling.

      4. 79. Right to have samples analysed.

      5. 80. Samples taken for analysis.

      6. 81. Sampling of milk.

      7. 82. Sampling powers of Minister’s inspectors.

      8. 83. Minister’s power of direction.

      9. 84. Where division not practicable.

      10. 85. Examination of food not for sale.

      11. 86. Quarterly reports of analysts.

    3. Enforcement

      1. 87. Power to enter premises.

      2. 88. Additional power of entry.

      3. 89. Powers of entry of Ministers’ officers.

      4. 90. Movement of imported food.

      5. 91. Obstruction.

    4. Legal proceedings

      1. 92. Offences triable either way.

      2. 93. Summary offences.

      3. 94. Offences by corporations.

      4. 95. Prosecutions.

      5. 96.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

      6. 97. Evidence of analysis.

      7. 98–109.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  8. Part VII General and Supplemental

    1. Acquisition of land, and order to permit works

      1. 110. Compulsory purchase of land.

      2. 111. Order to occupier to permit works.

    2. Inquiries, and default

      1. 112. Local Inquiries.

      2. 113. Default: local authorities etc.

      3. 114. Default: food and drugs authorities.

      4. 115. Expenses under ss. 113 and 114.

    3. Protection

      1. 116. Officer acting in good faith.

      2. 117. Liability to rates no disqualification.

    4. Subordinate legislation

      1. 118. Certain regulations and orders.

      2. 119. EU provisions.

      3. 120. Statutory instruments.

      4. 121. Byelaws.

      5. 122–130.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    5. Interpretation and operation

      1. 131.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

      2. 132. Interpretation: further provision.

      3. 133. Application to Crown.

      4. 134.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

      5. 135.Northern Ireland.

      6. 136. Citation, extent and commencement.

  9. SCHEDULES

    1. SCHEDULES 1–8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    2. SCHEDULE 9

      Transitional and Saving Provisions

      1. Time running

        1. 1.Where a period of time specified in an enactment repealed...

      2. Section 41(1) Food and Drugs Act1955 c. 16. (4 & 5 Eliz. 2)

        1. 2.Subject to section 43(1), the provisions of section 40(1) of...

      3. Local Acts

        1. 3.(1) In section 303 of the Publlic Health Act 1875...

      4. Public Health (Shell-Fish) Regulations S.R. & O. 1934/1342

        1. 4.An order having effect immediately before the commencement of this...

      5. Orders under Defence (Sale of Food) Regulations S.R. & O. 1943/1553

        1. 5.(1) Any order made under regulation 2 of the Defence...

      6. Sugar Act 1956

        1. 6.(1) Notwithstanding the repeal by this Act of section 23(4)...

      7. Sections 252 and 254 Local Government Act 1972

        1. 7.Section 252 (general power to adapt Acts and instruments) and...

    3. SCHEDULE 10

      Consequential Amendments

      1. City of London (Various Powers) Act 1959

        1. 1.In section 10(3) of the City of London (Various Powers)...

      2. London County Council (General Powers) Act 1959

        1. 2.In section 13(3) of the London County Council (General Powers)...

      3. Public Health Act 1961

        1. 3.In paragraph (b) of section 41(1) of the Public Health...

      4. Weights and Measures Act 1963

        1. 4.In sections 29(3) and 58(1) of the Weights and Measures...

        2. 5.In paragraph 1(e) of Part I of Schedule 10 to...

      5. London Government Act 1963

        1. 6.For subsection (1) of section 54 of the London Government...

      6. Agriculture Act 1967

        1. 7.In paragraph (e) of section 4(1) and in section 4(2)...

        2. 8.In section 7(3) of that Act, for “Food and Drugs...

        3. 9.In section 25(2) of that Act, for “section 135(1) of...

      7. Farm and Garden Chemicals Act 1967

        1. 10.In subsections (3) and (7)(c) of section 4 of the...

      8. Trade Descriptions Act 1968

        1. 11.In section 2(5) of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, for...

        2. 12.In section 22(2) of that Act— (a) for “ Food...

      9. Health Services and Public Health Act 1968

        1. 13.In section 62 of the Health Services and Public Health...

      10. Medicines Act 1968

        1. 14.In section 132(1) of the Medicines Act 1968, in the...

        2. 15.In paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 3 to that Act, for...

      11. Transport Act 1968

        1. 16.In paragraph 7(2)(d) of Schedule 16 to the Transport Act...

      12. Agriculture Act 1970

        1. 17.In subsections (4) and (5) of section 25 of the...

      13. Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1971

        1. 18.In paragraph 15 of Part I of Schedule 1 to...

      14. Road Traffic Act 1972

        1. 19.In section 10(7) of the Road Traffic Act 1972, for...

      15. Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1972

        1. 20.In paragraph (a) of section 17(5) of the Greater London...

      16. Poisons Act 1972

        1. 21.In paragraph (a) of section 8(4) of the Poisons Act...

      17. Local Government Act 1972

        1. 22.In section 112(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, for...

        2. 23.In section 259(3) of that Act— (a) in paragraph (b)...

      18. Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973

        1. 24.In section 2 of the Greater London Council (General Powers)...

        2. 25.In subsections (1) and (9) of section 30 of that...

        3. 26.In section 32(3) of that Act, for “subsection (5) of...

      19. National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973

        1. 27.In paragraph (a) (ii) of section 18(3) of the National...

      20. Slaughterhouses Act 1974

        1. 28.In the Slaughterhouses Act 1974— (a) in paragraph (a) of...

      21. Weights and Measures etc. Act 1976

        1. 29.In section 12 of the Weights and Measures Act 1976—...

        2. 30.In paragraph 2 of Schedule 6 to that Act—

      22. City of London (Various Powers) Act 1977

        1. 31.In section 22(2) of the City of London (Various Powers)...

      23. Consumer Safety Act 1978

        1. 32.In the Consumer Safety Act 1978— (a) in paragraph (b)...

      24. Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979

        1. 33.In paragraph 5(d) of Schedule 5 to the Hydrocarbon Oil...

      25. Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982

        1. 34.In paragraph 11(b) of Schedule 4 to the Local Government...

      26. Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

        1. 35.In paragraph (a) of section 3(2) of the Public Health...

        2. 36.In paragraph (d) of section 7(3) of that Act, for...

        3. 37.In paragraph (b) of section 20(1) of that Act, for...

    4. SCHEDULE 11

      Repeals and Revocations

      1. 2.The Table does not generally acknowledge transfers of ministerial functions....

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