The consultation was launched on 2 October, and is open until 24 December 2025.
This consultation applies to England, Northern Ireland (NI) and Wales, and the FSA is seeking views on a proposed ban on the use of:
Bisphenol A (BPA)
Other bisphenols (BPS, BPF)
Bisphenol derivatives
in FCMs (i.e. materials and articles that are intended to be, or can reasonably be expected to be, brought into contact with food and drink products).
In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) launched an equivalent consultation on the 27 October, that is open until 16 January 2026. This is a UK four nation commitment working together to establish a Food and Feed Safety and Hygiene Common framework, as this is a devolved area of legislation.
The rationale for the ban is to reduce public exposure to these chemicals and protect public health from alleged impacts on the endocrine, reproductive and immune systems. The provisions could affect food-production equipment coming into contact with food and drink, as well as packaging and other FCMs (such as containers, kitchenware, varnishes and coatings) intended for consumer-use.
The UK modern slavery regime has faced scrutiny in recent years for failing to keep up with requirements in other jurisdictions. A recent UK government publication offers a timely and illustrative example of how UK modern slavery laws are being reviewed. The document outlines the Government’s response to various recommendations made by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (a Parliamentary body) in a July report titled Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains (Sixth Report of Session 2024–25 HC 633 / HL Paper 159).
As we reported in the last edition of newsBITE, the Advertising (Less Healthy Food and Drink) (Brand Advertising Exemption) Regulations 2025 (Brand Advertising Exemption Regulations) were published in September 2025.
The Brand Advertising Exemption Regulations came into force on 31 October 2025. They provide that “brand” advertising that does not identify a specific, less healthy product, is outside the scope of highly anticipated restrictions, which will come into force in January 2026, under the Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024 (Advertising Regulations).
California is forging a path for climate disclosure with its series of related legal frameworks requiring covered entities to disclose climate-related information, supporting documentation for certain net zero claims and financial risk frameworks.
In October 2023, California became the first state to enact such broad climate disclosure legislation, with the passage of the:
Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253),
Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261), and
California’s Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (AB 1305).
Entities covered by these three programs generally include those that do business in the state of California and either (1) make certain climate related claims about the business, its products, etc.; (2) market and/or purchase certain voluntary carbon offsets; and/or (3) meet certain monetary thresholds (for purposes of SB 253 and SB 261).
With compliance deadlines already in place or approaching quickly, implementation has been challenging for industry. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for promulgating regulations associated with the three statutory programs, but has yet to do so. AB 1305 has already gone into effect, with its first deadline occurring as of January 1, 2025. SB 253 and SB 261 have deadlines starting in 2026. Like AB 1305, SB 261’s climate-related financial risk disclosure requirement does not depend on CARB completing its rulemaking prior to when the first reports are due on January 1, 2026. However, SB 253 differs from the other two in that no reporting obligations are imposed without CARB’s adoption of implementing regulations. Regulated entities needs to be prepared to comply while remaining flexible given pending publication of regulations in December.
To assist, this three part series provides a high-level guide on the three programs, including the applicability, the program’s coverage, steps for compliance, timing and other miscellaneous information based on current regulatory guidance. Here we focus on disclosure under California’s Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (AB 1305). Although disclosures required for Parts One, Two and Three of this program were already required to be publicly posted on websites as of January 1, 2025, disclosures must also be updated annually.
California is forging a path for climate disclosure with its series of related legal frameworks requiring covered entities to disclose climate-related information, supporting documentation for certain net zero claims and financial risk frameworks.
In October 2023, California became the first state to enact such broad climate disclosure legislation, with the passage of the:
Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261),
Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253), and
California’s Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (AB 1305).
Entities covered by these three programs generally include those that do business in the state of California and either (1) make certain climate related claims about the business, its products, etc.; (2) market and/or purchase certain voluntary carbon offsets; and/or (3) meet certain monetary thresholds (for purposes of SB 253 and SB 261).
With compliance deadlines already in place or approaching quickly, implementation has been challenging for industry. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for promulgating regulations associated with the three statutory programs, but has yet to do so. AB 1305 has already gone into effect, with its first deadline occurring as of January 1, 2025. SB 253 and SB 261 have deadlines starting in 2026. Like AB 1305, SB 261’s climate-related financial risk disclosure requirement does not depend on CARB completing its rulemaking prior to when the first reports are due on January 1, 2026. However, SB 253 differs from the other two in that no reporting obligations are imposed without CARB’s adoption of implementing regulations. Regulated entities needs to be prepared to comply while remaining flexible given pending publication of regulations in December.
To assist, this three part series provides a high-level guide on the three programs, including the applicability, the program’s coverage, steps for compliance, timing and other miscellaneous information based on current regulatory guidance. Here we focus on disclosure under California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253), which has an anticipated reporting deadline of July 30, 2026 (pending promulgation of implementing regulations).
California is forging a path for climate disclosure with its series of related legal frameworks requiring covered entities to disclose climate-related information, supporting documentation for certain net zero claims and financial risk frameworks.
In October 2023, California became the first state to enact such broad climate disclosure legislation, with the passage of the:
Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261),
Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253), and
California’s Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (AB 1305).
Entities covered by these three programs generally include those that do business in the state of California and either (1) make certain climate related claims about the business, its products, etc.; (2) market and/or purchase certain voluntary carbon offsets; and/or (3) meet certain monetary thresholds (for purposes of SB 253 and SB 261).
With compliance deadlines already in place or approaching quickly, implementation has been challenging for industry. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for promulgating regulations associated with the three statutory programs, but has yet to do so. AB 1305 has already gone into effect, with its first deadline occurring as of January 1, 2025. SB 253 and SB 261 have deadlines starting in 2026. Like AB 1305, SB 261’s climate-related financial risk disclosure requirement does not depend on CARB completing its rulemaking prior to when the first reports are due on January 1, 2026. However, SB 253 differs from the other two in that no reporting obligations are imposed without CARB’s adoption of implementing regulations. Regulated entities needs to be prepared to comply while remaining flexible given pending publication of regulations in December.
To assist, this three part series provides a high-level guide on the three programs, including the applicability, the program’s coverage, steps for compliance, timing and other miscellaneous information based on current regulatory guidance. Here we focus on disclosure under California’s Climate-Related Financial Risks Act, SB 261, which has an initial compliance deadline of January 1, 2026.
On 26 August 2025, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched a consultation to reform how industrial activities are regulated in England. DEFRA is also working alongside Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so similar changes are likely to take place in those administrations. The consultation excludes waste operations, mining waste operations, radioactive substances activities, water discharge activities, groundwater activities and flood risk activities from reform.
It focuses on industrial emission regulation; including installations, medium combustion plants and specified generators, as well a small waste incineration plants, solvent emission activities, Part B mobile plants and mobile medium combustion plants. These reforms are motivated by the government’s push for a net zero transition and circular economy ambitions the industry is likely to move away from fossil fuel to low carbon alternatives, making the current permitting system less fit for purpose.
We set out below the main strategic goals of the proposed reforms.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual on work-related fatal injury statistics. In the period April 2024 to March 2025, there were a total of 124 worker deaths, down 14 from the previous year. The most common causes of work-related fatal injury were fall from height, being struck by a moving object and being trapped by something collapsing or overturning, accounting for 60% of all fatal injuries. Construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for the highest number of deaths across all industries.
Comparatively, nonfatal injuries differ markedly to fatal injuries. Falling from height, as the most common fatal injury, only accounted for 8% of nonfatal injuries. Slips, trips or falls on the same level, and injury while handling, lifting or carrying, accounted for almost half of all employer-reported nonfatal injuries, yet the same two accident types only accounted for 1% of fatal injuries to workers.
On 16 September 2025, the European Commission published its Simplification Omnibus for Food and Feed Safety, proposing amendments to several pieces of EU legislation. The initiative aims to streamline procedures, enhance clarity and support innovation across the agri-food sector.
Despite its title, the new omnibus package is relevant not only to the agri-food sector but also to the chemical industry – particularly stakeholders involved in biocides and plant protection products. Indeed, the proposal includes suggested amendments to the following legislations:
The tyre waste exemption regime is changing in the UK, and it may impact your existing environmental permit. For example, if you have an exemption on a permitted site you may need to vary your permit, or you may lose an exemption if you benefited from more than one. You will certainly need to keep accurate records in electronic format ready for inspection by the regulator. Once these proposals are in force, you may only have three months to deal with changes to your permit.
