Crawley Borough Council

The Authority had an effective risk based approach to imported food checks at Gatwick Airport. There was a system in place for receiving and checking available manifests, in order to identify consignments of NPOAO foods arriving at the Airport. Suitable arrangements had been made for imported food control, which included an Airport office with dedicated staff, a duty officer scheme and good working relationships with key Airport personnel. Liaison arrangements were in place with other enforcement bodies, including HM Customs & Excise (HMCE).

Most of the necessary facilities and equipment to carry out imported food work had been provided and staff were well supported in terms of access to comprehensive information and reference materials.

Appropriate follow up action generally appeared to have been taken following inspection and sampling activity. However, record keeping arrangements required further development and expansion in terms of the level of detail recorded. In particular, records relating to all enforcement actions needed to be improved to accurately reflect the action taken.

There were no documented internal monitoring procedures. However, it was clear that there were a number of measures in place to promote consistent enforcement. The service would also benefit from the introduction of quantitative monitoring in relation to imported food activity.

The scheme of delegation and the mechanism for officer authorisation required review, to ensure that officers are appropriately authorised to enforce all relevant imported food legislation.