What are the most effective methods for regulating on-line food sales and e-commerce?
Background
As a regulator it is critical that FSS has a current evidence base on the factors that enable and encourage Scotland’s food businesses to adhere to legal requirements and the barriers which prevent them from complying with food law. This includes an understanding of the extent to which different sectors are aware of the legislation that applies to them, their access to guidance, the company policies and behaviours which promote a positive food culture and the behaviours and attitudes that prevent compliance. In parallel, it is also important for us to ensure that our methods for regulating food safety and standards remain fit for purpose and can keep pace with changes to Scotland’s food chain and the wider policy landscape. This relies on having up to date knowledge of the challenges faced by enforcement authorities when delivering food law, and the sanctions, interventions and support mechanisms that are most effective in driving compliance. One of the priorities for FSS's 2026-31 is to reform and modernise Scotland’s food law delivery system, and this research theme will enable us to build the evidence base we need to regulate our food system in the most effective and efficient way possible to maximise consumer protection, enable responsible food businesses to succeed, and ensure best use of public resources.
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Source
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
Research fields
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Related UKRI funded projects
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Effective Enforcement and Risk
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is determined to achieve more risk-based enforcement in the enforcement of food regulation. For this purpose the project aims to improve the evidence on enforcement and risk within the foo...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on risk-based enforcement rather than specific methods for regulating on-line food sales and e-commerce.
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Food Fraud: A Supply Network Integrated Systems Analysis
The aim of this research is to develop a predictive computational approach to modeling the food supply network so that the points where food adulteration can occur are identified. By identifying these points of vulnerabi...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Manchester
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it addresses food fraud within the supply chain, but not specifically on regulating on-line food sales and e-commerce.
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A holistic frameWork with Anticounterfeit and inTelligence-based technologieS that will assist food chain stakehOlders in rapidly identifying and preveNting the spread of fraudulent practices.
WATSON provides a methodological framework combined with a set of tools and systemsthat can detect and prevent fraudulent activities throughout the whole food chain thus accelerating the deployment of transparency soluti...
Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee
Lead research organisation: WELLICS LTD
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on detecting and preventing fraudulent practices in the food chain, but not specifically on regulating on-line food sales and e-commerce.