Policy paper

FSA approach to growth

Published 4 August 2026

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

Our approach to growth

Our main objective is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  

The most important way we support economic growth is by delivering our core functions efficiently and proportionately, while remaining transparent to maintain public and trading partner confidence in the food system. 

The UK government regulation for growth agenda aims to make sure that regulation promotes innovation and drives economic growth. 

The FSA is one of the key regulators identified by the government for its potential to impact economic growth.  In March 2025 we made several pledges under the government’s Regulatory Action Plan, which we have successfully delivered: 

• implemented new approaches to local authority food standards regulation (April 2025) and food hygiene regulation (October 2025) to make inspections more risk-based and proportionate. 

• been formally designated as competent authority for recycled plastics in Great Britain and completed the first audits.  This supports exports by enabling UK businesses to meet EU requirements for food grade recycled plastics. 

• supported six inward trade audits from the European Union, South Korea and the USA in 2025 to help the UK’s international trade in food and drink. 

• published the UK’s first safety guidance for cell cultivated products (CCPs) via our regulatory sandbox programme (December 2025), increasing regulatory clarity for innovators and supporting investment in a sector which could contribute up to £2.1 billion to the UK economy by 2030.

FSA growth goals

As part of our on-going commitment to support the UK government’s growth mission, we have agreed five economic growth goals with the Department for Health and Social Care. These goals focus on areas of our work in England where we can make a real difference.   

• Goal 1: support delivery of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU to maintain food standards and safety and remove trade barriers 

  supporting the delivery of the UK’s agri-food trade ambitions by implementing changes required for a future sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU and helping businesses to understand and adapt to new requirements 

• Goal 2: national approach to regulation for large food businesses in England 

  delivering the future of food regulation programme, including proposals for a new national approach to the regulation of large food businesses that reduces unnecessary burdens while maintaining public confidence, playing a key role in driving a more proportionate and effective regulatory system 

• Goal 3: deliver a regulatory sandbox programme for cell-cultivated products 

  supporting innovation in the food sector by providing clearer regulatory pathways for emerging products, for example through work on cell-cultivated foods 

• Goal 4: using modern technology and AI approaches 

  strengthening the use of data, intelligence and emerging technologies, including AI, to target regulatory effort more effectively and respond more quickly to risks 

• Goal 5: healthier food targets and reporting 

  supporting DHSC’s10 Year Health Plan commitment of introducing healthier food targets and reporting, subject to future policy and funding decisions   

The published FSA economic growth goals recognise our work to support economic growth, reduce trade barriers, and enable innovation in the food system, while maintaining high standards of food safety and consumer protection.  

Sharon Hodgson MP, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health wrote to Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Her published letter confirmed the economic growth goals agreed between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the FSA.