Kent County Council
Thursday 25 September 2003
4-6 June 2003
The Authority had developed an intelligence led approach to food law enforcement which aimed to concentrate its resources on those trade practices it thought posed the greatest risk to consumers. This meant that the Authority was not fully complying with Food Safety Act Codes of Practice or centrally issued guidance in relation to food inspections or food complaints.
The Authority did not have a policy for inspecting food premises in accordance with a programme as required by Food Safety Act Code of Practice No. 8: Food Standards Inspections, and had a significant number of premises that were overdue an inspection. This made it difficult for the Authority to identify those businesses that did not comply with food standards requirements and to take timely action.
The Authority had a clear commitment to the Home Authority Principle and was holding regular meetings with those businesses for which it acted as Home or Originating Authority.
The Authority's Strengths
Liaison with Home and Originating Authority Businesses - The Authority had developed close links with businesses for which it acted as Home or Originating Authority. This included encouraging businesses to enter into formal agreements, a number of which had been established.
Key Areas for Improvement
Frequency of Food Premises Inspections - Medium and low risk rated premises were not being inspected at the minimum frequencies according to risk. The minimum frequencies are devised to ensure that enforcement authorities are regularly monitoring food standards in businesses and to enable timely interventions to be made where necessary.
Inspection Records - Historical records of food standards and approved feeding stuffs inspections were not always available. Records are important to provide information for subsequent inspections, to enable decisions on the most appropriate enforcement action and to allow effective internal monitoring.
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