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What does the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991 provide?
What does the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991 provide?
What are the main food safety and consumer protection offenses outlined in the Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991?
What are the main food safety and consumer protection offenses outlined in the Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991?
What does the term "due diligence" refer to in the context of the Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991?
What does the term "due diligence" refer to in the context of the Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991?
The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 only applies to food businesses operating within specific regions of Northern Ireland.
The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 only applies to food businesses operating within specific regions of Northern Ireland.
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The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 explicitly addresses the issue of food fraud and its impact on consumers.
The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 explicitly addresses the issue of food fraud and its impact on consumers.
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The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 grants authorized officers extensive powers to inspect food premises and take necessary actions to ensure consumer safety.
The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 grants authorized officers extensive powers to inspect food premises and take necessary actions to ensure consumer safety.
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The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 requires all food businesses to implement a comprehensive Hazard Analysis.
The Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 requires all food businesses to implement a comprehensive Hazard Analysis.
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What does the "cooling-off period" refer to in the context of consumer protection?
What does the "cooling-off period" refer to in the context of consumer protection?
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Study Notes
Consumer Law ModuleCST 107: Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991
- Learning Objective: Understand the main food safety and consumer protection afforded by the Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991.
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Recap of Week 7:
- Information requirements for distance sales
- Consequences of missing information
- Consumer cooling-off period
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Food Safety Legislation:
- Protects consumers from illness and harm from unsafe food
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Food Safety Law:
- Safe Food: free from contamination, fit for consumption
- Hygiene: Food premises, equipment, personnel, practices (including temperature control), control of food poisoning
- Composition, amount and labeling of food
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Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991:
- Framework for food legislation in Northern Ireland
- Creates offences related to safety, quality, and labeling of food
- Applies to all types of food businesses
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Definition of Food:
- Any substance or product (processed, partially processed, or unprocessed) intended for human ingestion.
- Includes drink, chewing gum.
Food Safety (NI) Order, 1991 continued
- Food Offences: Rendering food injurious to human health, food must be of the correct nature/substance/quality, food must not be falsely described or presented.
- Food Business Responsibilities: Ensure food is not harmful, maintain the nature, substance, and quality expected by consumers, ensure food labeling is not false or misleading.
Rendering Food Harmful to Health
- Making food harmful:
- Adding/using substances in food prep
- Removing constituent parts
- Subjecting to other processes (whether deliberate or not)
Food Must Be of the Nature/Substance/Quality Demanded by the Consumer
- "Nature": Food sold as one thing but is actually another (eg) haddock sold as cod.
- "Substance": Food contains foreign bodies (eg insects), residues, inadequate composition (eg milk protein).
- "Quality": Commercial quality issues (eg) stale cake.
Food Must Not Be Falsely Described or Presented
- Offences: Statements are untrue or pictures are misleading; correct but misleading emphasis on details for consumers; misleading presentation to other businesses
Penalties for Non-Compliance
- Prohibition from using part of the business
- Fines and legal costs
- Prison sentence
- Closure of the business
- Prohibition from running a food business
- Criminal record. (Maximum penalties may vary)
Due Diligence
- Defence under Food Safety (NI) Order:
- Balance consumer protection and company rights
- Company proves it took all reasonable precautions
- Must demonstrate they did everything within power to safeguard consumer health.
Burden of Proof
- Burden on the accused company
- Needs only to persuade the court they exercised due diligence.
Accurate Records
- Evidence of due diligence: HACCP, monitoring records, pest control, cleaning schedules, alternative defences(someone else's fault, other person)
Alternative Defences
- Offence through another person's act or default, cases related to advertisements (if no suspicion of any offence)
Enforcing the Order
- Authorised officers can: inspect food, enter premises unannounced, detain suspect food, apply to Justice of the Peace, and require information.
Notices
- Enforcement Officers Issues: Improvement Notices, Prohibition orders, Emergency Prohibition Notices
- Summary: Food Safety(NI) Order (1991) requires compliance with food hygiene regulations, environmental health officers have wide-ranging control powers, and it is everybody’s responsibility.
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Description
This quiz focuses on the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991, highlighting key information requirements and consumer protections. It covers the importance of safe food, hygiene standards, and the consequences of non-compliance for food businesses. Test your understanding of the frameworks that ensure food safety and consumer rights in Northern Ireland.
