These Regulations prohibit the sale, possession for sale, offer, exposure or advertisement for sale, and the importation into Wales from outside the United Kingdom or the transportation into Wales from any other part of the United Kingdom, of any food consisting of, or containing, Kava-kava (being a plant or part of a plant, or an extract from such a plant, belonging to the species Piper methysticum) (regulation 3). Any such food may be treated as being unfit for human consumption and be liable to be seized and destroyed (regulation 5(3)).

A draft of the Regulations was notified to the European Commission in accordance with Article 8 of the European Parliament and Council Directive 98/34/EC laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules of Information Society services (OJ No. L204, 21.7.1998, p.37), as amended by the European Parliament and Council Directive 98/48/EC (OJ No. L217, 5.8.1998, p.18).

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared and placed in the Library of the National Assembly for Wales and copies can be obtained from the Food Standards Agency, 1st Floor, Southgate House, Cardiff, CF10 1EW.