Food Law Enforcement Research Programme (E03)

The purpose of the new Food Law Enforcement research Programme is to evaluate the mechanisms by which food businesses gain knowledge of food law requirements and how they apply it to their business, and to study how food law is enforced. The Programme aims to identify the most effective approaches and provide robust information to help direct enforcement resources to where they are likely to offer the best outcome in terms of consumer protection. The research also builds on current Agency research on HACCP management systems. The research will help the Agency meet its policy objectives to raise food standards in food businesses and to protect consumers through effective and consistent local authority enforcement.

This programme will be looking at the particular difficulties that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food industry have in keeping up to date with food law requirements. It will also look at, and evaluate, effective enforcement approaches for SMEs.

Research has been commissioned in the following areas :

• The identification, analysis and potential remedy of the problems experienced by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in complying with food law requirements.
• Evaluation of effective enforcement approaches for SMEs.
• Management factors in the food industry increasing the likelihood of foodborne illness.

Findings from this research programme should :

• Facilitate more effective food law enforcement techniques.
• Compliment current government research on HACCP food safety management systems.
• Ensure existing enforcement resources are targeted to best effect, and feed directly into Agency policy decisions.

This is a new area of important work, which is unlikely to be carried out in the absence of Agency support and funding. The research programme will help contribute towards meeting the Agency's priorities of ensuring effective and consistent enforcement, raising food standards in food businesses and ultimately improving consumer protection. It will also help the Agency provide further support and guidance to local authorities, particularly with regard to effective enforcement approaches for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).

Local authority environmental health and trading standards services are responsible for the enforcement of current food safety legislation in most UK food establishments, including all catering and food retailing establishments. The aim of this research is to provide robust information to help direct enforcement resources to where they are likely to offer best outcome in terms of raising food safety standards and consumer protection.

SMEs have particular difficulties keeping up to date and being aware of legal requirements, including food law requirements. Surveys carried out on behalf of government, show that local authority enforcement officers have an important role in helping ensure that SMEs are informed about, and subsequently comply with, food legislation. This advice and information may be provided during routine enforcement inspection activities or as part of separate initiatives. Research is needed to help identify effective ways in which local authority enforcement officers can develop their role in informing SMEs about food safety legislation and good practice. In particular, the research will highlight the role that can be played by local authority enforcement services and other organisations and the ways in which this might be supported centrally to best effect.

Previous analysis of UK food-borne illness has resulted in lists of common factors contributing to outbreaks. Current local authority inspection techniques increasingly focus on the management arrangements for food safety, particularly on the HACCP based management system in place. The research will help the Agency's understanding of the management, technological and commercial issues, which impact on the effective implementation of management control systems and which may decrease the likelihood of foodborne illness. It will also help identify ways in which food businesses can improve their understanding of their legal food safety obligations and ensure appropriate controls are in place for consumer protection.

The research will help food businesses (particularly SMEs) to be aware of, and comply with, their legal obligations. It will also help identify effective enforcement approaches and, in particular, ways in which local authority enforcement officers can most effectively inform SMEs about food safety legislation and good practice.

Name: John Questier
Tel: 020 7276 8429
Email: john.questier@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk