Agenda item
Food Standards Agency Audit 2017
Minutes:
Following on from the Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board meeting held on 22nd June 2017, whereby Members received a verbal update on the Food Standards Agency Audit; the Board received a report which provided detailed information on the Food Standards Agency Audit of Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) undertaken on 24th and 25th May 2017.
The Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, introduced the report and in doing so informed Members that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) was the national competent body for food law enforcement in England. Unlike many national regulators, the FSA always had a limited role in enforcing the law. Its main role was the promotion of better standards in the food industry and the oversight of local authorities which dealt with food law enforcement in their areas.
In two tier areas, food law enforcement was split between Worcestershire County Council (food composition / labelling and animal feed) and district councils (food hygiene / safety).
All local food authorities had to complete an annual data return to the FSA on their activities. The FSA then used that data to report back to the European Union (EU) on food law enforcement; effectively being required to demonstrate that the United Kingdom (UK) enforcement was meeting the requirements of the relevant harmonised EU directives.
The FSA also conducted routine audits of activity being undertaken by local authorities. These audits could be focused on particular areas of activity or they could cover the whole range of work undertaken by an authority.
The Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, highlighted that this was the first time that WRS food activity had been subject to the audit process.
When WRS was developing its Systems Thinking approach, the then Head of WRS had met with the FSA; and the service was given some leeway in order to explore new approaches and time for the new database system to be in place and functioning. Hence the FSA not auditing WRS until 2017.
Two auditors from the FSA visited WRS on the 24th and 25th May 2017. Their focus was on the broad delivery of food hygiene interventions by the service on behalf of Wyre Forest District Council. The FSA could only audit individual local authorities, it could not audit the service as a whole.
However, officers were able to refer to work carried out on behalf of other partner authorities, where they had not carried out a particular activity on behalf of Wyre Forest District Council. This was helpful in demonstrating the broad competence of the service.
During the two day audit process, the auditors worked with the Food Lead Officer and the Database Administrator. They appeared to be very impressed with the levels of reporting being generated from the system. Officer training records were reviewed to ensure that the competency requirements were being addressed. Officer authorisation processes and the scheme of delegation also formed part of the review process. The Community Environmental Health Manager was also engaged with the process.
The Food Lead Officer was in the process of documenting the current approach to qualitative monitoring and would develop a fuller programme which would be included in the 2018/2019 Worcestershire Regulatory Services, Service Plan.
Other actions resulting from the audit included updating the WRS Operating Principles document, as detailed on page 53 in the report.
The Head of Service further informed Members that he was present for the initial and closing meetings on each day.
Generally the auditors were happy with what WRS was achieving and that the service was delivering the required official food controls regime in the spirit of the EU Directive and in a manner that fitted with the FSA’s current policy; focusing on supporting legitimate traders and using information and intelligence to tackle the rogues and those who were less willing to meet standards.
The auditors noted the section in the most recent WRS Business Plan, which indicated that the service was operating at close to the minimum numbers required to deliver services and they were pleased that this had been flagged to Members and that Members appeared to have acknowledged this.
No areas of significant concern were identified and the actions recommended were relatively straightforward to put in place.
The auditors did however make a number of key areas for improvement, as detailed on pages 52 and 53 in the report, which officers had already begun to resolve.
The Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, highlighted to Members that the FSA were currently looking to radically change the way food law enforcement was undertaken through its “Regulating the Future” review; and it seemed clear that the approach to these activities being used by WRS fell in line with the new approach being developed by the FSA. So, yet again the Worcestershire Authorities were ahead of the curve in innovation in relation to service delivery.
The Chairman asked for it to be noted that it was brave of WRS and partner authorities to have been so innovative.
RESOLVED that the Food Standards Agency Audit 2017 report be noted.
Supporting documents:
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