FOI release

Request for information on adoption of the government's definition of anti-Muslim hostility

Published 25 August 2026

7th Floor, The Cabot
25 Cabot Square
London E14 4QZ
T: +44 (0)20 7215 6537
E: Enquiries@GroceriesCode.gov.uk
www.gov.uk/gca

Sent by email

13 August 2026

Freedom of Information Act: Request for information on Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) activities

Thank you for your email of 15 July 2026 regarding the GCA and the non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility published by the UK government. You asked for the following information:

1. Confirmation of whether you have adopted the definition in whole or in part and, if so: a. the date of adoption; b. minutes of any and all meetings at which the adoption was discussed; c. email and/or other correspondence in which adoption was discussed; d. whether the definition, or any equivalent formulation of anti-Muslim hostility, has been incorporated or is proposed to be incorporated into any regulator document which could reasonably be considered to constitute policy, strategy, guidance, or training material. For each such document, please provide: i. its title and date of publication or adoption; and ii. a copy of the document, or, where it is publicly available, a link to its location.

2. Whether any external bodies have sent guidance or recommendations to the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

3. Whether you are actively considering adoption of the Definition and, if so, please send any review, consultation, or decision-making process currently under way, including anticipated timelines.

General right of access to information held by public authorities

Under section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the FOIA”), anyone making a request for information to the GCA, as a public authority, is entitled to be informed in writing whether it holds that information, and if so, to be supplied with it.

The GCA holds the information you have requested:

1. The GCA has not (separately to the government’s adoption) adopted the non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility published on 9 March 2026, either in whole or in part. Accordingly: there is no date of adoption; the GCA holds no meeting minutes, emails, or other correspondence concerning the adoption of the definition; and the definition has not been incorporated into, nor is it proposed to be incorporated into, any GCA policy, strategy, guidance document or training material.

2. No external bodies have sent guidance or recommendations to the GCA regarding the non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility referred to in your request.

3. The GCA is not actively considering adoption of the definition, and no review, consultation or decision-making process is under way.

Appeals Procedure

If you wish to complain about the way in which your request for information has been handled, you may seek an internal review by writing, setting out the reasons you feel your request has not been dealt with effectively, to:

The FOI Review Co-ordinator
Groceries Code Adjudicator
7th Floor, 25 Cabot Square
London
E14 4QZ

Alternatively, you can email: enquiries@groceriescode.gov.uk.

We will aim to deal with your internal review request within 20 working days of receipt or, if that is not possible, advise you of a date when we expect to complete the review.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can do this through the Information Commissioner’s Office website.