FOI release

Food Standards Law Data

Case reference FOI2022/00955

Published 1 August 2022

Request

I understand you are responsible for enforcing 'food standards' law. I am specifically interested in food standards and not food hygiene/food safety.

My questions are:

Q1. Does your authority carry out food standards?

Q2. Does your authority carry out food hygiene work?

Q3. If you carry out both, how many officers do standards only, how many officers do hygiene only and how many do both?

The remaining questions relate ONLY to food standards.

Q4. Do you currently have a 'lead food officer' for food standards that is qualified and deemed competent?

Q5. Is your lead food officer directly employed by your own authority or are they employed by another authority?

Q6. How many competent 'authorised officers' do you have for food standards work? (excluding 'lead officer')

Q7. How many competent 'regulatory support officers' do you have for food standards work? (excluding 'lead officer')

Q8. Section - 3.4.2 of the Food Law Code of Practice lists a number of qualifications in order to be qualified/competent for food standards work. How many of your 'lead officer', 'authorised officers' or 'regulatory support officers' for food standards have one of the qualifications listed below.

I am only interested in officers who are currently competent to do food work (i.e. do not include employees who have a qualification but are not competent to carry out food standards work):

• CTSI Trading Standards Practitioner Certificate with the Food Standards unit from the Trading Standards Practitioner Diploma

• Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

• Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Higher Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (HDCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

• Diploma in Trading Standards

• Diploma in Consumer Affairs (DCA Part II) provided it includes the Food and Agriculture paper

• Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Certificate of Competence in Food Standards service delivery module

• Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Core Skills Certificate in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (CSCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

• Diploma in Consumer Affairs Certificate of Competence in Food and Agriculture

NB- if they do not have the above it is assumed they must have one of the alternatives - which are:

• Higher Certificate in Food Control awarded by EHRB or CIEH

• Higher Certificate in Official Control awarded by SFSORB

• Advanced Professional Certificate in Food Hygiene and Standards Control (APC) awarded by CIEH

• A Certificate of Registration awarded by the EHRB to practice as an Environmental Health Practitioner

• A Diploma in Environmental Health awarded by the EHRB or the REHIS

• Degree in Environmental Health

• Masters Degree in Environmental Health

• Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection awarded by the EHRB, IFST or the SFSORB with the Food Standards Endorsement

• The Higher Certificate in Food Standards Inspection awarded by the SFSORB

• Environmental Health Practitioner (Integrated Degree) Apprenticeship

Q9. How many officers (lead, authorised or regulatory support) do you employ that you have assessed as being competent under the FSA Competency Framework in ALL of the following activities:

Sub-activity B1.2: Assessing business compliance with food standards legislation

Sub-activity B2.2: Food standards audits

Sub-activity B5.1: Taking formal samples

Sub-activity C1.1: Preparing investigation files

Sub-activity D3.1: Preparing prosecution files

Q10. How many of each of the following food premises do you currently have in your area

• High risk premises / category A

• Medium risk premises / category B

• Low risk premises / category C

Q11. How many inspections have been carried out at high risk or category A premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited every year.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

Q12. How many inspections have been carried out at medium risk or category B premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited every 2 years.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

Q13. How many inspections have been carried out at low risk or category C premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited or subjected to alternative enforcement strategy every 5 years.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

Q14. How many food samples have you obtained for each of the following years. 'Formal' or 'informal' (i.e. any food product taken/purchased for the purpose of analysis).

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

Note:

- competency refers to the Food Standards Agency competency framework

- 'inspection' refers to a 'full inspection' or 'partial inspection' as defined on page 72 of the FSA Food Law Code of practice. It should not include visits where a complaint is discussed unless there has actually been some form of inspection.

- 'risk' refers to the risk rating system you use for rating premises. Either High/Medium or Low or FSA A, B or C. Please specify which terminology you use in your response.

Response

Q1. Does your authority carry out food standards?

Yes.

Q2. Does your authority carry out food hygiene work?

Yes.

Q3. If you carry out both, how many officers do standards only, how many officers do hygiene only and how many do both?

Food standards - 2 FTE

Food hygiene - 6 FTE

Both - 0

The remaining questions relate ONLY to food standards.

Q4. Do you currently have a 'lead food officer' for food standards that is qualified and deemed competent?

Yes.

Q5. Is your lead food officer directly employed by your own authority or are they employed by another authority?

Employed by Herefordshire Council.