How to respond to an incident

A guide to aid food businesses and others in preventing or dealing efficiently with food incidents if they occur can be found at the link below.

The guidelines outline the roles and responsibilities of all key players in preventing and responding to food and feed incidents. They highlight the main elements of incident prevention and give a coherent process of incident response from notification, through risk assessment, risk communication and risk management, to post-incident actions. The document provides guidance for those who have a role in incident prevention or response in the food industry, enforcement community or the Agency.

The guidelines are primarily intended to address those incidents that require action in accordance with EC General Food Law Regulation 178/2002. As far as possible, the document has been arranged so that individual modules (incident prevention, incident response by industry, FSA or enforcement authorities) can be used independently.

A protocol has been produced to provide Agency staff with a user-friendly guide to the procedures that should be followed when managing an incident.

The protocol, which can be found at the link below, includes details of notification procedures, roles and responsibilities during incidents, and arrangements regarding closure and review. It is vital that all Agency staff involved in incident work have a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities during an incident, and how they fit into the overall process.