Welcome to the Retail, Food & Hospitality Regulatory & EU round-up. Week ending 13 July 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 updates

Landmark Bill on English Devolution Bill published: The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has published a bill to reform Local Authority areas and powers in England. Proposed changes include:

• Making more local ownership of pubs, shops and social hubs easier through a new ‘Community Right to Buy’
• Introducing a new ‘Sporting’ category protection of local assets preserving local character, boosting tourism and keeping community spirit alive  
• Banning Upward Only Rent Reviews (UORR) clauses in commercial leases
• Requiring for local authorities to put in place effective neighbourhood governance to give residents more of a say in shaping their local areas
• More rights for elected Mayors who will be tasked to develop local growth plans
• Establishment of a Local Audit Office, to increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system 
• Creation of new ‘Strategic Authorities’ to boost connectivity and collaboration between Councils, with each Strategic Authority belonging to 1 of the following levels of devolution:
  • Foundation – available to those authorities without an elected Mayor, Foundation Strategic Authorities will have limited devolution and include non-mayoral Combined and Combined County Authorities as well as single councils that have been specially designated as a Strategic Authority.
  • Mayoral – available to areas with an elected Mayor, Mayoral Strategic Authorities will have greater devolution and include mayoral Combined and Combined County Authorities.
  • Established Mayoral – available to Mayoral Strategic Authorities who are able to satisfy additional governance      requirements. Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will have access to the broadest range of devolved powers and functions, including the ability to request further devolved powers from the government)

MHCLG has published Devolution Framework Explainers setting out the statutory functions of Strategic Authorities in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill and other legislation. News > Publication > Guidance > Local Government Association >

Consultation on revised code of practice on private parking: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued a consultation seeking views of a revised private parking code which includes caps for parking charges and debt recovery fees, improvements to second-stage appeals and a requirement for operators to share data with government to inform future updates to the Code. A new rule is being considered that would uphold appeals where motorists had no reasonable choice but to breach parking terms.  Proposals also cover clearer signage and mandatory grace periods. Responses are required by September. News > Consultation >

Primary Authority determination issued in favour of enforcing Local Authority: The Office for Product Safety and Standards has published a determination overturning a decision by Barnet LBC to block proposed enforcement action by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets re adequacy of pest control procedures and their implementation at a retail store operated by Iceland. OPSS determined that the proposed enforcement action is in relation to adequate procedures being in place to control pests and that the PA advice does not cover the training and supervision of food handlers in relation to food hygiene matters more generally and therefore, the proposed enforcement action is not inconsistent with Barnet Council’s advice to Iceland.  View >

New vaping duty and stamp rules: Manufacturers, importers, and retailers will face new compliance obligations, from registration and tax payment to supply chain due diligence and product stamping with the goal to curb illicit trade and ensure tax compliance across the vaping industry. View >

Alcohol labelling rulings published: The Portman group has issued four rulings against alcoholic products that have been identified by its contractors completing marketplace surveys. The Products falling foul of the Portman group code have done so based on under 18 appeal, reference to drinking games, imagery and references to confectionery and suggestion of therapeutic qualities. View > View >

EU updates

EU Parliament debates on priorities of Danish EU Presidency: View >

EU Commission postpone corporate responsibility reporting requirements: The Commission has adopted targeted “quick fix” amendments to the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). According to the current ESRS, companies reporting on financial year 2024 can omit information on, amongst other things, the anticipated financial effects of certain sustainability‑related risks. The “quick fix” amendment, which applies from financial year 2025, will allow them to omit that same information for financial years 2025 and 2026. For financial years 2025 and 2026, wave one companies with more than 750 employees will benefit from most of the same phase‑in provisions that currently apply to companies with up to 750 employees. View >

EU Dg Environment consult on calculating and reporting the recycled content of plastic bottles: The Single Use Plastic Directive sets ambitious recycled content targets, including 25% recycled content in beverage bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by 2025 and 30% in all single use plastic beverage bottles by 2030.The proposed methodology for calculating this is based on the “fuel-use excluded” allocation rule, which means that waste used to produce fuels or energy recovery cannot be counted as recycled content, in line with the definition of “recycling” in the Waste Framework Directive. Annual third-party verification will be required for the most complex stages of the value chain, i.e. during chemical recycling. Responses are required by 19 August.  View >

EU Dg Climate Change consult on vehicle emission standards and labelling: The EU Commission id proposing tightening standards and timescales for emission standards for new cars and vans. Responses are required by 29 September. View >      

European Court of Justice Issue judgment supporting European Chemicals Agency decision that Melamime is a harmful substance. View >

EU Regulations:

• Amending list of cosmetic ingredient names from October 2026. View >
• Use of food colour: polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (E1202) >

European Food Safety Authority opinions:

• On novel food: magnesium orotate dihydrate >
• On food additive: neotame (E961) >
• Pesticide risk assessment: pendimethalin > 

Developments to watch

Food Standards Scotland: Call for action to improve the healthiness on takeaway foods following survey. View >

Gambling Commission: To adopt new guidelines for the calculation of fines from 10 October. View >

Food Standards Agency: Publish results of consumer insights tracker for 2024-25. View >

For your information

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

DEFRA: Publish update on ongoing Avian Flu outbreak. View >

US Food and Drugs Administration: Publish list of achievements of the new Commissioner in his first 100 days in office. View >