North Ayrshire (Core Audit)

North Ayrshire Council is a Scottish Unitary Local Authority and therefore has responsibility for enforcing food hygiene, food standards and feeding stuffs law in North Ayrshire.

Approximately 1,300 businesses in the Authority’s area are subject to food law enforcement. There is also one approved and 100 registered establishments subject to feeding stuffs legislation.

The Authority has a 2007–2008 Food Service Delivery Plan covering food hygiene and food standards enforcement that meets the requirements of the Service Planning Guidance in the Framework Agreement. The 2007–2008 Service Plan has been accepted as appropriate and accurate by an officer delegated by a Member forum.

The Authority has appointed authorised officers and inspectors to enforce food and feeding stuffs law. Qualification records demonstrate that officers are generally appropriately qualified for the work they are doing. However, in relation to food standards enforcement, an authorisation was not appropriate as an officer was unqualified for the scope of some parts of the work being done.

Training records for food law enforcement officers demonstrated that they were meeting the continuing development training requirements of the Code of Practice.

Inspections of food businesses are being conducted according to the risk rating schemes in the Code of Practice, including inspections of businesses in the highest risk categories and approved premises.

Records of inspections and other food and feeding stuffs enforcement activities are generally well documented and sufficiently detailed to demonstrate that inspections have assessed compliance with all aspects of relevant legislation in accordance with the Code of Practice and/or centrally issued guidance.

Records of some food businesses that are subject to Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 do not include a copy of the original application for approval and accurate plans were not always available.

Sampling programmes for food and feeding stuffs have been developed and partially implemented. Adverse food and feeding stuffs sample results are generally being followed-up appropriately. Food samples have not always been taken by an appropriately qualified officer.

Officers use a range of informal and formal enforcement options to secure compliance, including letters, voluntary surrenders of food for destruction, hygiene improvement and emergency prohibition notices, voluntary closures and reports to the Procurator Fiscal.

The Authority’s electronic database was up to date with generally accurate records of the Authority’s food and feeding stuffs law enforcement activities, although a few anomalies that were revealed during the audit need to be addressed.

Service performance and internal monitoring for food are being conducted in accordance with the Code of Practice, centrally issued guidance, and the Authority’s own documented procedures.