Approaches to Food Safety Hazard Control and Risk Management: A Case Study of Preston City Council’s Food Safety Compliance Strategy

Richard Bradford-Knox,Simon Neighbour,Kevin Kane

doi:10.18646/2056.31.16-002

Richard Bradford-Knox, Simon Neighbour + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18646/2056.31.16-002

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Abstract

This case study aims to demonstrate that an approach based on cooperation and collaboration can improve the rapport and trust between food businesses and enforcement officers leading to improvement in levels of compliance and reduce costs. The study integrates a desk research literature review with a qualitative case study approach supported by quantitative data. Case interviews with food industry professionals were performed to identify opinions and barriers to successful legal compliance plus in depth interviews with the Preston City Council whose approach is the focus of this case study. The barriers and challenges facing all parties involved implementing risk based food safety management systems and achieving an acceptable level of compliance with the various public regulations and industry regulations have been the subject of much research. These include factors of motivation, commerce, training, hazard control, analysis and management. This case study shows that the cooperative approach, and techniques used by Preston City Council demonstrates a trend towards improvement in the levels of food hygiene compliance among food businesses as well as economic benefits in the use of resources.

Highlights

Food businesses of all kinds are subject to regulation that includes the implementation of and compliance with risk based or hazard based management systems (EU Regulation EC 852 & 853 of 29 April 2004)
The compliance ratings used are established in accordance with FSA’s Code of Practice –Annex 5 (FSA Food Law Code of Practice of April 2012) and the Local Authority Enforcement Data Monitoring System – LAEMS that requires the LAs to submit their data to the Food Standards Agency annually (FSA, n.d.)
Food businesses reported a lack of continuity and cooperation in their relationships with individuals and between the various national and local public regulators in the requirements to comply with the risk based food safety management standards of EC852 and EC853 of 29 April 2004

Summary

Introduction

Food businesses of all kinds are subject to regulation that includes the implementation of and compliance with risk based or hazard based management systems (EU Regulation EC 852 & 853 of 29 April 2004). At a national level the majority of the responsibility for the direct control and public regulation of food businesses and their inspection is overseen and supported by the FSA and, with some exceptions in regard to food of animal origin, is directly carried out by the Environmental Health Departments and Trading Standards Departments of local authorities As part of their law enforcement activities the local authority EHOs use risk based ratings systems to identify and measure levels of compliance among food businesses. The term ‘enforced self-regulation’ implies a cooperative approach to achieve compliance It is the businesses ‘responsibility to self-regulate and implement the risk based controls and legal requirements and the various government authorities and agencies role to assist them and check that they have done so (Health and Safety Act 1974; Hutter and Amodu 2008)

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