Commentary on Sections Section 9 - Offences
23.Section 9 creates criminal offences relating to the proper display and retention of stickers and failure to respond to requests for verbal confirmation of ratings. These offences apply to food business operators and are all subject to a reasonable excuse defence.
24.This section also makes it an offence for anyone to intentionally alter, deface, or tamper with a sticker, except where the sticker is invalid and is to be destroyed in accordance with section 7(6). There is no reasonable excuse defence in relation to these offences.