Written question asked by Justin Madders (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 May 2021. It was answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative) on Friday, 28 May 2021 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bread and Flour: Regulation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's written commitments to the Real Bread Campaign to review the Bread and Flour Regulations in November 2018, what progress the Government has made to ensure that there will be a public consultation on that matter; and if he will publish the timetable for the commencement of that consultation.

Answer: Defra committed to reviewing the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, as they apply in England, following the end of the transition period. The planned review is being scoped now but it will focus on ensuring alignment with retained laws in other overlapping areas, as well as considering requests from industry for additional measures and exemptions. The review will also need to consider any DHSC decisions around folic acid. As part of the review, we will hold a public consultation on policy options. We very much welcome views from key stakeholders such as the Real Bread Campaign to feed into this. Many of the issues raised by stakeholders to date are technically complex and we expect this review will need sufficient time to consider responses and agree the best way forward.

Secondary information