Terms & disclaimer

Information only — not a food-safety authority

Safe To Gather republishes official shellfish classification and closure data in plain English. It is an information tool, not a food-safety authority, and it does not give professional, medical or food-safety advice. It never tells you that a location is safe to gather from, or that shellfish are safe to eat. The strongest thing it says about a clean site is "not confirmed safe — verify locally".

No warranty; the data may be out of date

The classification and closure data comes from Cefas, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland and is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. Classifications are reviewed periodically, and biotoxin or contamination status can change quickly between monitoring samples. Temporary closures for England & Wales are issued by individual local authorities and are not listed centrally, so the absence of a closure here does not mean an area is open or safe. We do not warrant that anything shown is current, complete or accurate. Always confirm the current position with the local authority Environmental Health Officer and follow Food Standards Agency guidance before gathering or eating anything.

Safety, not legality

We show safety-related status only. We do not tell you whether gathering is lawful at a given place: several and regulated fisheries, IFCA and local byelaws, permit schemes (for example Welsh cockle permits) and foreshore ownership are separate matters that you are responsible for checking.

Your responsibility — assumption of risk

Gathering and eating wild shellfish carries inherent risk, including serious illness from biotoxins, norovirus and pollution. You are responsible for your own safety and for verifying the current official status before gathering or eating anything. If in doubt, do not gather.

Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for any loss, illness or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, this website or its information, which is provided without warranty. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability where it would be unlawful to do so — including any liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.

Community observations

Some pages show anonymous observations submitted by members of the public. These are unverified, may be wrong or out of date, and never override official guidance. We hold no personal data about contributors.

Data & licence

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data © Crown copyright — Cefas, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. Official sources: Cefas and the Food Standards Agency.