{"id":58636,"date":"2026-05-22T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/?post_type=articles&p=58636"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:00:39","slug":"the-swedish-food-agency-is-reducing-the-regulatory-burden-for-food-businesses","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/article\/the-swedish-food-agency-is-reducing-the-regulatory-burden-for-food-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"The Swedish Food Agency is reducing the regulatory burden for food businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Over the past two years, the Swedish Food Agency has been conducting a comprehensive simplification initiative that aims to reduce the regulatory burden and administrative costs for food businesses in Sweden. The overarching objective has been to draft regulations that take profitability, competitiveness and sustainable transition into account, and to ensure that businesses also are provided with service, clear information and the right support at the right time. This is an ambitious goal. In March 2026, the Swedish Food Agency published its final report, which sets out the results of more than 40 activities carried out. These include regulatory simplification, improved service and efforts to ensure more risk-based controls.<\/strong><\/p>\n

New regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency’s simplification measures have largely focused on making the regulatory framework more fit for purpose, facilitating compliance for food businesses by issuing new regulations, amending existing ones, and reviewing and updating guidelines for how the regulations are to be interpreted and applied in practice. Examples of these measures are listed and summarised below.<\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency\u2019s regulations (LIVSFS 2024:6) on hunters\u2019 supplies of small quantities of wild boar and wild boar meat, known as the wild boar package, came into force in November 2024. The aim of the new regulations is to make it easier for wild boar meat to reach consumers and to provide more opportunities to achieve this. The rules enable hunters to supply wild boar directly to local retail outlets, such as shops and restaurants, and to sell wild boar and wild boar meat directly to consumers.<\/p>\n

Following the adoption of a new EU regulation in 2023, requiring hen’s eggs to be labelled at the production unit in accordance with marketing standards, Member States were given the option to grant exemptions from this requirement. As a large proportion of hen’s eggs in Sweden have traditionally been labelled at packing centres, a practice deemed to function well, the Swedish Food Agency has now adopted new regulations on marketing standards for hen’s eggs, allowing labelling to continue at packing centres while consolidating all rules concerning labelling standards for eggs into a single set of regulations.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, in 2025, the Swedish Food Agency adopted four new regulations on honey, fruit juice, jam and preserved milk, implementing amended EU directives. These regulations introduce new possibilities regarding permitted processing methods, product names and labelling, and will enter into force on 14 June 2026.<\/p>\n

Amended regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n

As of 1 January 2026, the requirement for food businesses to notify the Swedish Food Agency before launching pre-packaged \u2018free from<\/em>\u2019 foods on the Swedish market has been abolished. Under the previous rules, such businesses were obliged to submit notification to the Agency, which in turn forwarded this to the competent control authority without conducting any substantive assessment of the products concerned. Eliminating this obligation means one less administrative step, thereby reducing the regulatory burden and associated costs for affected businesses.<\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency also decided in 2024 to amend the regulations (LIVSFS 2006:12) on frozen foods. The amendment means that it is no longer necessary to provide information on the storage temperature and the type of storage equipment required for the frozen food, which simplifies labelling for businesses.<\/p>\n

The rules on on-farm slaughter, i.e. the possibility of slaughtering on an agricultural holding and selling locally produced meat, have also been expanded. Since 2021, EU rules have permitted on-farm slaughter of cattle, horses and domestic pigs, and in 2024 the Swedish rules were updated to include on-farm slaughter of sheep and goats.<\/p>\n

New interpretations and application<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency has also changed its interpretation of the rules regarding the labelling of hard cheese as \u201clactose-free<\/em>\u201d. All hard cheese is lactose-free, and the Agency has therefore previously regarded such labelling as misleading to the consumer. In 2025, the Agency reviewed and amended its interpretation to allow hard cheese to be labelled as lactose-free. Other neighbouring EU countries, such as Denmark and Germany, already permitted such labelling, and the Agency wished to promote a uniform interpretation within the EU. The amended interpretation is expected to benefit Swedish cheese producers and strengthen the position of domestically produced hard cheese, as well as facilitate matters for international companies selling their goods in several EU countries, which would otherwise risk additional work and increased costs due to differing interpretations among Member States.<\/p>\n

Sweden\u2019s control authorities have had varying interpretations of EU marketing standards and how a company may use its own hen\u2019s eggs in its own retail operations. Some companies have been able to use eggs in their own operations, whilst others have had to deliver the eggs to an egg packing centre and retrieve them again before being able to use them. The Swedish Food Agency has now clarified that the eggs may be used, for example, for baking and cooking in the company\u2019s own caf\u00e9, provided that the hens and the retail business have the same owner.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, in the spring of 2025, the Swedish Food Agency issued a new policy on processing wild game at approved facilities. This means that businesses with an approved food facility may carry out what are known as processing activities whereby hunters supply wild game or meat for processing and then receive the finished product for consumption in their own households. However, companies must first submit notification to the Swedish Food Agency to ensure that the activity is included in the establishment\u2019s permit and thus subject to Agency supervision.<\/p>\n

Improved service and digitalisation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alongside regulatory changes, the Swedish Food Agency has also focused on improving the service it provides to businesses. The Agency\u2019s customer service function has been developed to prioritise business enquiries, and an AI-based chat function is planned for 2026 in order to provide even more rapid responses. The Agency is also developing an AI assistant, which will provide businesses with tailored information on regulations and risks within the food sector.<\/p>\n

Inspection decisions, invoices and other correspondence have been reviewed for plain language to make them easier to understand, and all e-learning courses are now free of charge and accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency has also taken a number of additional measures aimed at providing a high level of service. The M\u00e4rk r\u00e4tt<\/em> (Correctly Labelled) initiative has produced short training videos on rules for labelling and information on food, aimed primarily at small and start-up businesses. The Swedish Food Agency is also working to streamline export approvals with countries outside the EU\/EEA, with this work including opening up markets to export egg products to Vietnam and fresh beef to the Philippines in 2025. When it comes to slaughter planning, administration has been reduced through pre-filled forms and simplified change procedures.<\/p>\n

Risk-based inspections mean fewer visits<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2024, the Swedish Food Agency introduced a new risk classification model. Under the new model, the frequency of inspections is tailored to the actual risk posed by, or existing in, the relevant business. Businesses with a high level of compliance or certification to an approved standard receive fewer inspection visits. This change lies behind the substantial reduction in both the number of inspections and the inspection fees paid by businesses.<\/p>\n

The largest reduction in the number of inspections has occurred at the final stage of the food chain \u2013 shops, restaurants and other businesses that supply food directly to consumers \u2013 where the number of planned inspections fell by an estimated 32 per cent between 2023 and 2024. At earlier stages, such as dairies, bakeries and wholesalers, inspections fell by around 8 per cent. The model is set to be evaluated in 2026.<\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency is also developing a digital solution for remote meat inspection, where pre- and post-slaughter inspections can be carried out via video in real time instead of requiring a veterinarian to be physically present. The change requires amendments to EU legislation but is expected to benefit small slaughterhouses and facilities in rural areas in particular, if and when it is implemented.<\/p>\n

The impact on businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency\u2019s simplification initiative is expected to entail several positive effects for food businesses. New and amended regulations aim to reduce the administrative burden and open up new business opportunities. The new risk classification model has, according to the Agency, led to approximately 22 per cent fewer official inspections for the roughly 95,000 businesses concerned, and companies\u2019 costs for food inspections correspondingly fell by SEK 72 million between 2023 and 2024. Initiatives in service and customer relations are also expected to provide businesses with better support and clearer communication from the Agency. However, the Swedish Food Agency emphasises that it is too early to draw definitive conclusions and that systematic follow-up is planned for 2026.<\/p>\n

Self-assessments have their limitations, and it remains to hear from the food industry about the actual impact.<\/p>\n

The Swedish Food Agency has also made the somewhat cautious assessment that strategic EU work will have the greatest impact in the long term. The Agency has therefore submitted proposals to the government, including more innovation-friendly rules, a more stable regulatory framework with reasonable transition periods, and better impact assessments. Key areas highlighted include mandatory labelling of alcoholic beverages, simplifications to drinking water regulations, removal of the reference number requirement for unpackaged beef, and updating of regulations for baby food and cereal-based foods. The Agency has also presented an action plan for its ongoing work, focusing on effective regulations, efficient service, dialogue with businesses, and risk-based and consistent controls.<\/p>\n

As with all simplifications and changes, the Swedish Food Agency\u2019s remit and ongoing work naturally entail new regulations and conditions to which food businesses must adapt. Please do not hesitate to contact Setterwalls if you have any questions about the measures or what they mean for your business.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":55184,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":""},"article_category":[1058],"class_list":["post-58636","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_category-life-sciences-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/58636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setterwalls.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=58636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}