The petition, which originally ran in April 2014, gained 1,000 signatures in 24 hours and was launched to protect small and medium sized catering businesses against increased fees. The petition was initially successful in making the Government revert its stance.
The relaunched petition is now being distributed online as the regulation changes are up for debate in Europe. It is calling on businesses to sign it and apply pressure on Government departments and officials who are taking the debate to Europe.
Mark Laurie, director at NCASS said: “The proposed changes, and in particular the proposed inspection fees have the potential to change the whole catering industry; without a small business exemption, they face significantly increased costs which at best are likely to be damaging and at worst, unsustainable.”
At the beginning of 2014, the European Commission published a proposal to change EU regulation. It detailed funding changes and the introduction of charges for every food hygiene inspection. Despite the Government including an SME fee exemption, the petition warns that there is no guarantee this will remain in place; a vote will take place on April 14th.