FOOD & SAFETY UNIT Enforcing food legislation

1. FOOD & SAFETY UNITEnforcing food legislation

3. City of York • Population - ~195,000 • 7.1 million visitors to York • £443 million contribution to economy • Greatest spend – food and drink • Supports 22,000 + jobs • York placed fifth in European good food destinations

4. City of York

5. Food & Safety Unit • Food Safety • Food Standards • Animal Feed • Public Health • Health and Safety

6. Premises • 1,900+ food premises • Mostly catering premises • History as chocolate city

7. Staff

8. Planning interventions

10. Interventions • Official controls • • inspections • • monitoring • • surveillance • • verification • • audit; and • • sampling • Not official controls • education, advice and coaching • information and intelligence gathering

11. Inspections • Preparation • Clothing/equipment • Review of the information held on the premises • On site • Explain purpose of inspection • Establish if any changes • Identify all food related activities • Question appropriate staff

12. Inspections (2) • Areas covered • Assess risk of not meeting food hygiene requirements • Assess hazards and if controlled • Is food handled and produced hygienically? • Assess and verify HACCP

13. Post inspection • Report of inspection • Cover contraventions • Split legal requirements/ recommendations • Follow up – various approaches

14. Approach to enforcement • Food Law Enforcement Policy • History of the premises • Attitude of the business • Seriousness of the offences • Reasonable, proportionate, risk based and consistent. • Graduated and educative

15. Securing compliance • Informal approaches • education • coaching • giving advice

16. Securing compliance • Formal approaches • Hygiene Improvement Notice • Emergency Prohibitions • Seize or detain food • Remedial Action Notices

17. Hygiene Improvement Notice • proportionate to the public health risk • record of non-compliance • informal approach won’t be successful

18. Emergency Prohibition Notice • Use where there is a health risk condition

19. Emergency Prohibition Notice • Immediately close premises, use of equipment or process/treatment. • Apply to Magistrates’ Court to issue an order • FBO can request lifting of an order • - issue certificate HRC removed; or • - explain what HRC still exists • Also prohibit FBO from running food business

20. Prosecution • Factors for prosecution • seriousness of the offence • prevalence of the type of offence • history of premises • Factors against • nominal penalty • genuine mistake

21. Prosecution – outcomes • Magistrate’s court • fine – max £5,000 per offence • prohibition order • Crown court • unlimited fine • imprisonment

22. Example case

23. Example case

24. Example case

25. Example case

26. Example case

27. Example case

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29. Example case

30. Outcome of court case • Business • £1000 unfit food • £500 other offences • £789.45 legal costs • Owner • £100 per offence • £600 legal costs

31. ...and some bad publicity!

32. Quality control • BS 9001 accredited service • Inter authority audits • External audits from certifying body • Annual report to Chief EHOs

33. FSA involvement • Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring

34. FSA involvement • Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring system • Audit local authorities • Issue guidance on the back of audit findings

35. FSA involvement • Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring • Audit local authorities

37. FSA involvement • Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring • Audit local authorities • Issue guidance on audit findings

39. Food Hygiene Rating Schemes • Rating based hygiene standards • Improved transparency • Easy to access information • Encourages businesses to improve • Media interest

45. Broadly compliant premises • Shift from input to outcomes • Tackling the worst premises • National performance indicator • Prioritised inspections • Revisits – coaching/advice/encouragement • Graduated and educative approach (CoP)

48. Future issues