Through our routine and planned work we keep a close watch on food and drink throughout its production and distribution to the consumer, whether it’s purchased for home consumption or eating out.  We ensure that it is safe and of an acceptable quality, that it is correctly labelled, and that any descriptions – for example “local”, "organic" or "GM Free" – are correctly applied.

In addition we are working with businesses, consumers and public sector partners to contribute to the national and local Healthy Eating agenda.  Our Healthy and Local Food focus group is working on various projects designed to encourage healthy eating and promote local food sources.

Local food claims

Because we check out claims made by food producers and manufacturers, consumers can be confident that these claims are true.

We have carried out project work to see how local claims can be supported.  The Local Goverment Regulation Report on Local Claims contains the results of Surveys carried out by Local Authorities including Devon and attempts to answer the question - How Local is Local? (258KB - pdf help)  We have also produced guidance for businesses who wish make Local claims on Staying within the Law (136KB - pdf help).   

If you are concerned that a business is making unjustified local claims, or stating that a product has been made in the locality and it hasnt, please contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506.  We can then use this information to check out any claims reported to us.  We will always consider enforcement action if we discover businesses making fraudulent claims.

If you are an excellent business offering excellent customer service and comply with all Trading Standards legislation you may be interested in our approved trader scheme Buy With Confidence.  Any general or specific claims about using local products are vigorously audited before membership is approved, so as a buyer you can be sure Made in Devon means it was made in Devon and a Buy With Confidence product!

Help for Food Manufacturers?

Devon Trading Standards is working with food manufacturers who wish to reformulate their products to offer their customers more healthy choices. This could be the removal of hydrogenated fats, a reduction in salt, fat or sugar, or labelling changes to provide consumers with more information.

If you are a food manufacturing business in Devon and would like to discuss the nutritional content of your products or if you want to find out more about nutrition labelling or Traffic Light labelling contact us (contact us page link).

Last year we produced and distributed advice to food manufacturing businesses encouraging them to consider developing new products or reformulating existing ones to help in the push to reduce the prevalence of obesity and heart disease.

We are now working with those businesses who expressed an interest. To support this work we now have the use of nutrition calculating software which can be used to help businesses offer nutrition information to their consumers.  If you are a food business in Devon please Contact Us if you would like to know more about this work.

You can download a copy of our booklet Recipe for Change here.

Hospitality and catering businesses

The Food Standards Agency is working with high street catering chains encouraging them to deliver improvements without their customers feeling that healthier eating involves making a sacrifice. Devon Trading Standards is building on this work to include local independent businesses so that health conscious consumers can choose from the full range of pubs, cafes and restaurants in the area when eating out.

We are working with catering businesses in Devon to look at ways they can promote healthy choices to their customers. Can we reassure you there will be no ban on “unhealthy” food but businesses may like to consider using some strategies such as:

• Changing the layout of the servery or the menu to make healthy choices attractive
• Offering pricing structures which encourage healthy choices
• Looking at portion sizes
• Offering nutrition information about specific dishes on the menu
• Promoting a “healthy choice of the day”

Please Contact Us (contact us page link) if you would like to know more about this work.

If you want practical advice about how to give your customers the choice to eat more healthily, check out the information given on the Food Standards Agency website.

Understanding food labels

As well as advising local manufacturers about their legal obligations in labelling their products we take every opportunity to help consumers understand and interpret the information on food labels.

If you have somewhere we could place some leaflets or a display about Understanding Food Labels please Contact Us

We may also be able to provide some teaching material or a presentation for social/interest groups or classes.

FSA Saturated Fat Campaign
FSA Understanding labels

You can find out about Devon food producers on Foodie Devon  where you can search a database for local producers and suppliers.

Food and Drink also have a searchable database of their members.

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