Food law | UK Regulatory Outlook May 2026

UK 

Government abandons voluntary food price cap proposal and announces targeted tariff cuts 

It was recently reported that the Treasury had been asking large supermarkets to introduce voluntary price caps on key grocery items (such as eggs, bread and milk) in return for regulatory concessions including easing packaging obligations and potentially delaying changes to rules around healthy food promotion. 

The proposal drew opposition from retailers, with some senior figures publicly criticising it, including raising concerns that cross-industry co-ordination on pricing could breach competition law. The proposal did not feature in chancellor Rachel Reeves' cost of living speech on 20 May 2026. 

The government has since announced a business engagement exercise with a view to making further targeted cuts to agri-food tariffs, suspending tariffs on over 100 products including biscuits, chocolate, dried fruit and nuts, with an expected consumer benefit of more than £150 million a year. The full list of products is due to be published this week. The announcement builds on agri-food tariff suspensions announced at the end of April, which are expected to deliver consumer benefits of between £100 million and £400 million a year. The government has indicated that the list takes account of domestic production and food security and will not include significant UK primary agricultural produce. 

The publication of the full product list, alongside the scope of the business engagement exercise on further tariff adjustments, will be worth monitoring closely for those across the food sector. 

European Partnership Bill signals significant food law reset for UK businesses 

The King's Speech has confirmed plans for a new European Partnership Bill that would give ministers powers to implement EU agreements into UK law, with parliamentary approval retained before any EU law is applied domestically. The sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agrifood agreement is among the first in scope, and for food and drink businesses, the bill signals the most significant shift in the UK-EU regulatory relationship since Brexit.  

UK rules are expected to re-align with EU frameworks covering general food law, labelling, hygiene and safety rules, nutrition and health claims, pesticides and biocides. The bill would sit alongside the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, which already gives ministers broad powers to align UK product standards with EU rules through secondary legislation, and would fill the void left by the expiration of ministerial powers under the Retained EU Law Act 2023 on 23 June 2026. 

The UK Trade and Business Commission has published a report setting out recommendations on how the UK should approach the SPS agreement, underlining the cost of the current divergence. British farm product sales to the EU fell by 37% between 2019 and 2024, and a London School of Economics study put the per-household food cost premium at £250. The Commission recommends that the UK pauses regulatory divergence on precision breeding and work towards a harmonised framework with the EU, noting that an England-only approach would create internal market complications, and that the UK align with EU pesticide standards following appropriate transition periods. Businesses trading across UK and EU markets should monitor the bill and the agreement negotiations closely. 

EU 

EU Council adopts new rules on gene-edited plants, bringing 2028 application into view 

The EU Council has formally adopted the new genomic techniques (NGTs) regulation, the latest step in a process ongoing since the European Commission's 2023 proposals. The regulation now awaits formal adoption by the European Parliament before it enters into force, with most provisions expected to apply from mid-2028 following a 24-month transition period. 

The regulation introduces a two-tier system for NGT plants. Category 1 plants, considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants, will benefit from a simplified regulatory regime and will not require product labelling, though seed and plant reproductive material will need to be labelled. Category 2 plants, involving more complex genomic modifications, will continue to be subject to existing GMO requirements including mandatory labelling. Plants with traits such as herbicide tolerance are excluded from Category 1 and will fall under the more stringent Category 2 regime. The regulation also introduces patent transparency measures, requiring applicants to disclose existing or pending patents when registering an NGT-1 plant or product. 

Businesses involved in the development, production or supply of gene-edited plant products in the EU should use the transition period to prepare for the new framework. Those operating across both UK and EU markets should also monitor the UK-EU SPS agreement negotiations closely, as mentioned above.