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This project provided information on the delivery structures and arrangements that are in place within CAs in the UK for the purposes of:
<ul><li>establishing a baseline of current practices to identify and quantify the impact of changes arising from alternative delivery systems to be considered within the review of the delivery of official controls</li>
<li>understanding how these delivery arrangements are changing as a consequence of reductions in local authority budgets and changes to government priorities</li></ul>
<p>The aim of this project was to enhance the FSA’s knowledge and understanding of the delivery of official controls through a set of case studies that set out the detail of operating models for official control delivery currently in place, providing data on resources and costs of activities within these systems.</p>
This project :
<ul><li>developed and agreed a methodology for selecting a range of CAs to approach to participate in the study</li>
<li>developed and agreed a data collection toolkit for case study site visits</li>
<li>carried out and documented the case studies</li>
<li>collated and analysed the information gathered through the case study process</li>
<li>summarised and presented an analysis of the data collected to inform the assessment of the current system and the option appraisal</li></ul>
<p>The project will also be used to cross-check and supplement the data collected in the survey of CAs in evidence research project FS616004. </p>
<p>Background: The Food Standards Agency is has reviewed how local authorities and port health authorities undertake activities to monitor and secure business compliance with food and feed law. These activities are collectively known as ‘official controls’.</p>
<p>Official controls for food and feed are currently delivered through a variety of means and these delivery responsibilities vary across the four UK nations. The FSA needs to be assured that the delivery structure for these controls throughout the UK is appropriate and that competent authorities (CAs) are effectively identifying and addressing food business operator non-compliance in a manner that is proportionate to risk and in accordance with defined standards of delivery.</p>
<p>The review evaluated the effectiveness of the current delivery model and the outcomes will be used to consider the scope for making improvements. Further information on the review can be found at: www.food.gov.uk. </p>