In line with the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Food Crime Prevention Strategic Plan 2024-27, FSS works in partnership with local authorities, other law enforcement agencies (LEA), industry and stakeholders at various strategic and tactical fora, including:

• the National Multi Agency Counterfeit Alcohol Working Group
• regular engagement with the drinks industry
• share intelligence with relevant LEA and local authority partners
• engagement with international LEA partners - Europol, OLAF and participate in Operation OPSON
• Food Crime Global Alliance
• access to Trading Standards intelligence system
• media awareness - including risk communication to consumers
• horizon scanning
• proactive sampling projects
• multi-agency inspections
• through joint working/liaison with Police Scotland, HMRC and local authorities
• intelligence requirements from/to various partners
• Food Alerts for Action (FAFA) via local authorities
• liaison with Public Health teams and National Poisons

To support food producers to meet labelling regulations, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has published various forms of guidance and training material which are designed to lay the relevant information out in an easy-to-understand way. This includes guidance on the Food Information Regulation, allergen labelling, food sold prepacked for direct sale and front of pack nutrition labelling along with online allergy training and MenuCal resource.

Food Standards Scotland routinely engages with all sectors of the food industry, providing advice and support to businesses to protect supply chains, including:

• Food Crime Risk Profiling Tool
• Food Crime Prevention Strategy
• in partnership with the Food Industry Intelligence Network and SALSA
• hosting food crime seminars for industry

Whilst the organisational focus of Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is to support positive changes to the food environment, they remain committed to providing consumers with consistent messaging around a healthy balanced diet. As detailed within the Public Health Nutrition strategy, FSS continue to deliver consistent dietary advice using existing tools such as Eat Well, Your Way and building on the previous successes of our campaigns to increase awareness of advice on vitamin D supplementation during the winter months.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is currently undertaking research to better understand portion sizes of foods commonly sold by independent out of home businesses in Scotland. The findings will be published later in 2025 on the FSS website and accessible at the nutrition research hub. When published this will be shared with those who have signed up to receive notifications.

Local Authority Environmental Health Departments have powers under the Nutrition and Health Claims (Scotland) Regulations 2007 to enforce the requirements of Regulation 1924/2006 applying to businesses making claims about the nutrition content or health benefit of a particular food.

FSS collaborates routinely with all Scottish local authorities (LA) to identify and prevent food fraud, which is formalised through various fora, including:

• MOU in relation to the investigation of food crime in Scotland
• FSS acting as intelligence hub for all LA food teams
• authorised LA staff having access to FSS intelligence database
• representation at various LA/FSS liaison groups pertaining to food crime
• use of an FSS QR code to facilitate input of intelligence at source by LA Food officers
• SFELC Food Crime representative attendance at the FSS Food Crime TTCG

While the Scottish Government remains committed to its vision for an integrated and community-based hearing service in Scotland, re-phasing of funding has meant that not all the challenges we are facing will be addressed in a single budget and therefore there is no community hearing service in operation at this time.

While our response to the Independent Review of Audiology is implemented, we will continue to work with the NHS, Third Sector and private providers to identify and cost an appropriate model of community care for any future service reform, and ensure that the voices of those with lived experience inform this work.