Consultation on developing a modernised food hygiene delivery model in Northern Ireland

This consultation will be of most interest to: 

• Competent Authorities - District Councils (DCs)
• food businesses and industry trade bodies 
• third-party assurance organisations for food safety 
• Professional awarding bodies for environmental health and trading standards professionals 
• Trade Unions and expert groups may also have an interest. 

Consultation subject 

In September 2022 the Food Standards Agency Board endorsed the headline policy and principles to evaluate success for a modernised FHDM. We are now seeking stakeholders’ views on the following proposed developments: 

• a modernised food hygiene intervention rating scheme 
• an updated risk-based approach to the timescales for initial official controls of new food establishments, and for undertaking due official controls 
• increased flexibility as to the methods and techniques of official controls that can be used to risk rate an establishment, including the appropriate use of remote assessment 
• extending the activities that officers, such as Regulatory Support Officers, who do not hold a ‘suitable qualification’ for food hygiene can, if competent, undertake. 

Purpose of the consultation 

To seek stakeholders’ views on proposed developments for a modernised FHDM.  

The proposed developments are subject to separate consultations in England and Wales. 

Consultation pack 

Consultation on developing a modernised food hygiene delivery model – Northern Ireland

How to respond 

Please use the consultation response form to provide your comments. You may use either the interactive PDF or Word document version of the form. The consultation response form should then be emailed to hygienemodelreview@food.gov.uk.  

Comments and views are required by 23:59 Friday 30 June 2023. 

Publication of response summary 

Within three months of the consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page. 

You can find information on how we handle data provided in response to consultations in our consultations privacy notice. 

Further information 

If you require a more accessible format of this document please email details to hygienemodelreview@food.gov.uk and your request will be considered. 

This consultation has been prepared in accordance with HM Government consultation principles. 

If an Impact Assessment has been produced, this is included in the consultation documents. If no Impact Assessment has been provided, the reason will be given in the consultation document. 

Thank you on behalf of the Food Standards Agency for participating in this public consultation.