CHILD carers are calling for clarification on how proposed new food safety laws would apply to the industry, warning that uncertainty around the proposals could push some out of the profession.
Jersey Association of Child Carers chair Christina Jandron has raised fears that home-based carers may be unintentionally swept into a regime designed for cafés, restaurants and food manufacturers.
It comes as the Island prepares for wide-ranging reforms that will introduce mandatory allergen labelling, stricter hygiene standards and a new risk-based licensing system for food businesses, bringing Jersey into line with UK and EU law from 1 October 2026.
In a written submission to the panel of politicans responsible for scrutinising the proposed new law, Ms Jandron said there was “very limited information available” on how the new rules would apply in practice – particularly for self-employed child carers who routinely provide food as part of childcare.
From what has been published so far, she warned, it appears that “anyone providing, selling, or making food for a consumer or customer would fall somewhere within the scope of the regulations”.
“This raises significant concerns for child carers,” the association chair said. “Although we are self-employed and technically small businesses, we do not operate like cafés or restaurants, nor do most of us make a profit beyond our personal wage.”
Ms Jandron explained that many carers either manage lunchboxes prepared by parents or provide home-cooked meals themselves, with costs included in fees or charged separately.
“In all cases, food is being provided to children for whom we are being paid to care,” she wrote. “Even when food is supplied by parents, it is still being handed over and managed within our settings.”
The association chair said it is unclear whether the law changes would require child carers to register as food businesses, comply with allergen labelling rules, or pay licence fees under the proposed low, medium and high-risk categories.
Those categories are a key of the new law, which would require all food businesses to hold an annual licence, with inspection frequency and enforcement linked to risk. Fee proposals have not yet been published.
Ms Jandron said that these categories are “particularly worrying”, warning: “Many child carers earn very modest incomes, and the introduction of licence fees or additional financial and administrative burdens could result in carers either ceasing to provide food altogether or leaving the profession entirely as another hurdle hits us.”
The legislation is intended to replace the Island’s current 60-year-old food law.
Environment Minister Steve Luce, who proposed the changes, said updates are needed to address modern risks around allergens, hygiene and imported food labelling, and to prevent “potentially life-threatening incidents”.
Deputy Luce has insisted that activities which are “occasional, small-scale and very low risk” – such as charity cake sales or school fêtes – will not be regulated. However, child carers say their situation remains a grey area.
“We are therefore seeking clarification on whether child carers would fall under these regulations, and if so, under which category,” said Ms Jandron.
“Clear guidance on this matter is vital for our members, so they can plan appropriately and continue to provide safe, affordable care for families in Jersey.”
