Welcome to the Retail, Food & Hospitality Regulatory & EU round-up. Week ending 12 October 2025

This week’s regulatory developments in order of importance, so you can ensure you're up to date with the latest changes impacting your business. 

Retail, Food & Hospitality Important updates

Call for evidence published in fast-track licensing review: The Home Office and Department for Business and Trade have issued a detailed call for evidence on the Licensing of alcohol, entertainment venues and late night refreshment houses with the aim of gathering evidence on streamlining outdated processes, improving consistency across local authorities and better integrating licensing with related regimes such as planning, community cohesion, tourism and cultural policy. Key elements of the call for evidence which focusses on the on-trade include seeking views on:

• A national licensing policy framework (to work alongside the Licensing Act 2003 and statutory guidance)
• Setting economic growth as a licensing objective
• An amnesty for outdated licensing conditions / simpler route for licence variations
• Increasing the number of Temporary Event notices premises can apply for each year. (from 15 to 20)
• Extending pavement licensing
• Removal of local press publication requirement for statutory notices.

Responses to this ‘Fast track’ review are required by mid-day on 6^th November. Call for evidence > Press release >

Call for evidence on premises licensing and other controls on vapes and tobacco: The Department of Health and Social Care has issued a call for evidence on potential further controls on the sale of tobacco and vapes under the Tobacco and vapes Bill. Questions cover the following topics:

• Flavouring of vapes
• Limit of Level of nicotine permitted in products
• Size, shape and technology of vaping products
• Potential for licensing of sellers and retail premises
• Potential for requiring product registration

Responses are required by 3^rd December. Call for evidence >   Press release > Association of Convenience Stores >

Environment Agency set out future approach to use of civil sanctions: Following consultation the Environment Agency has published a detailed analysis of responses and its current and intended future use of civil sanctions, The Environment Agency has highlighted that it can impose sanctions under the Environment Act 2021 to a standard of proof on the balance of probabilities rather than to the beyond reasonable doubt standards required by the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 of other regulators. View >

Advertising Standards Authority: Uphold complaint re use of time clock limited offers by furniture retailer. View >

EU updates

EU Regulations:

• Delisting of plant protection product pentiopyrad: View >
• Amending authorisation for biocidal product ClearKlens: View >

European Food Safety Authority opinions:

• On feed additives: L-carnitine L-carnitine l-tartrate > L-isoleucine >

Developments to watch

DEFRA: Publish updates on Blue-tongue outbreak:

View >

Gambling Commission: Set deposit limit requirement from 30^th June 2026. View >

Association of Convenience Stores: Respond to consultation on payment systems reform. View >

For your information

Non-food product safety alerts: Office for Product Safety and Standards > EU Safety Gate > US Consumer Product Safety Commission >

Government Chemist: Publish updated link for webinar on fish speciation and authenticity. View >

Environment Agency: Publish updated structure chart: View >