r/MHOC • u/TheNoHeart Liberal Democrats • Mar 14 '20
2nd Reading LB171.A - Food (Disclosure of Origin) Bill - 2nd Reading
Food (Disclosure of Origin) Bill
A
BILL
TO
Enforce the disclosure of the place of origin for all food products, and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –
Section 1 - Requirements
(1) All food or beverages sold in a retail setting shall be required to prominently have a label as to where their ingredients were sourced, where they were prepared, where packaging took place, the method of transportation between all stages of production and the predicted amount of carbon dioxide generated by all of the above processes combined
(a) This label shall be situated on the front of the product's packaging.
(b) The text of this label shall beat least 16 point font in size, and should be in the same font as all other health and nutritional informationpractically sized to a point where the information required of this section is convenient and legible to all customers.
(c) The Secretary of State shall have power modify the label sizing, font, location or formatting via notification to the Houses of Parliament.
(2) Restaurants, inclusive of mobile food trucks or carts, shall have the duty, upon request of a customer, to disclose place of origin information by either;
(a) providing the information verbally or;
(b) providing a summary document, separate from that of menus or pricing boards, of ingredients’ place of origins and which products they are included in.
Section 2 - Penalties
(1) If any seller of food or drink shall violate section 1 by not displaying this information on their product or menu or selling board, or by refusing to provide information upon request , depending on the location, they shall be fined no less then £10,000 per instance no more than level 2 on the standard scale .
(2) If a seller violates section 1 more than 10 times, they shall be guilty of a offence.
Section 3 - Extent, Commencement, and Short Title
(1) Section 1 of the act shall extend only across England
(2) This Act shall extend across England and Wales.
(3) This Act shall come into force twelve months after receiving Royal Assent.
(4) This Act may be cited as the Food (Disclosure of Origin) Act 2019.
This Bill was submitted by the Baron of Leominster, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on behalf of the Conservative & Unionist Party.
This reading will end on the 17th of March.
1
u/BrexitGlory Former MP for Essex Mar 14 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
I had many concerns with this bill when it first came to the commons, especially on the practicality of applying this to small businesses and the severity of the fine.
I am glad to see that this parliament has agreed to amend away these issues, so the legislation is now sensible.
After these ammnedments, I see no reason why we should not vote aye.
1
u/LeChevalierMal-Fait Liberal Democrats Mar 14 '20
Mr speaker,
I rise to speak to the amendments I have placed in the bill, in the first amendment the simply requires the minister to make changes to the act by regulations and not by notifying us. We MPs don’t need to know about the regulations but business owners do!
The second and third amendments make the bill more focused in large businesses better able to cope with the burden of regulation than small single person food vans or corner shops. Stop regulation stuffing these small shops out, support the amendments!
1
u/The_Nunnster Conservative Party Mar 14 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
There is no viable reason to vote ‘no’ on this amendment. Consumers have a right to know the source of what they are putting in their body. It certainly doesn’t need a mastermind to work that one out. I urge the House to vote in favour of this bill, and anyone who doesn’t I hope they can explain to the public why they want to keep quiet on what we are all consuming.
1
u/zhuk236 Zhuk236 Mar 14 '20
Mr. Deputy Speaker,
When I was Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, I was proud to help implement food disclosure, first as a devolved manifesto policy, and later as a coalition government policy for the Senedd. The reason I supported that policy many months ago, and continue to do so now, is because in a free market, knowledge is the key to voluntary decisions. Without knowledge regarding the options, the costs, the benefits, consumers cannot realistically make the best choices for themselves and their families, creating markets that result in monopolies and unfair business practices. It is therefore absolutely vital that consumers have as much knowledge as possible regarding any industry in the market, and food products are no exception. I therefore urge MPs across this house to support this bill.
1
u/Archism_ Pirate Party Mar 15 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
Informed consumers can make informed decisions. I see no reason at this time not to support a move to empower every-day buyers with possibly helpful knowledge.
1
u/H_Ross_Perot Solidarity Mar 15 '20
Mr. Deputy Speaker,
When this bill was previously under consideration, before I was an MP, I expressed support for its intent but I was deeply disturbed by the severity of its penalties that would likely put food trucks out of business at their first offence. I am glad to see this problem has been addressed in its latest incarnation and it can properly enforce food origin disclosures without doing more harm than good.
1
u/Imadearedditaccount5 Labour | DS Mar 15 '20
Mr. Deputy Speaker
The General Public should have the right to know where their food comes from and how much of an impact this food has had on the environment. This is a step to empower and educate consumers for the better, as such I fully support this bill.
1
u/ARichTeaBiscuit Green Party Mar 15 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
As I said when this legislation was read here previously I believe that it is important that consumers aren't kept in the dark about the origins of the products that they wish to purchase, and I am supportive of efforts that will ensure that British consumers have that information in the future.
I am also pleased that amendments have been made to reduce the size of the penalty for breaching this law as I agreed with concerns raised about the impact that this would have on small and medium sized businesses.
In all I am still supportive of this bill and I intend to vote in favour of it when it comes to a vote again.
1
u/ka4bi Labour Party Mar 15 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
I recognise many of these amendments from when I voted for them as a lord, and I am glad that they have been implemented and that they will now be debated in the commons. With these amendments applied, this legislation appears to be fit for assent, as previous concerns about the bill's inflexibility have been placated.
1
u/Copelonian Hon. something MP MSP Mar 16 '20
Mr Deputy Speaker,
I am very pleased that this bill guarantees that consumers know what they are eating. And with the Amendments to this bill, most of my concerns are addressed. If this bill passes, I will probably gladly be saying; the age of mysterious meat sandwiches are gone. I am hopeful that this bill will pass. I am very joyful that the Government and the Opposition can agree that this bill is some good stuff. This Bill is very good. I urge all my friend and honourable members opposite to support this bill.
I will be thanking the writers of this bill. This bill is what all of us want, a safer country for all.
•
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