Stirling (Core Audit) (Closed)

Stirling Council is a Scottish Unitary Local Authority and therefore has responsibility for enforcing food hygiene, food standards and feeding stuffs law in the District of Stirling.

Approximately 1,420 businesses in the Authority�s area are subject to food law enforcement. There are 143 registered or approved intermediaries and establishments subject to feeding stuffs legislation in Stirling Council�s area and 13 in Clackmannanshire Council.

The Authority has a Food Service Plan covering food hygiene, food standards and feeding stuffs law enforcement that generally meets the requirements of the Service Planning Guidance in the Framework Agreement. However, an annual review based on the previous year�s Service Plan had not been carried out or reported to the appropriate Member forum at the time of the audit.

The Authority has appointed suitably qualified authorised officers and inspectors to enforce food and feeding stuffs law and training records generally demonstrate that officers are receiving continuing development training in accordance with the Code of Practice. However, there is not a unified documented procedure for the authorisation of food law enforcement officers, and no formal process for assessing their competence before appointment, including HACCP competencies (Annex 2 of the Code of Practice).

Some food hygiene and food standards premises inspections are not being conducted at the required minimum frequencies, and some food businesses are not included in the planned food standards inspection programme although present on the database and having been assessed.

Records of the inspection of establishments that are subject to Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 are not sufficiently detailed in some cases to demonstrate that inspections have assessed compliance with all aspects of relevant legislation in accordance with the Code of Practice.

Sampling programmes for food and feeding stuffs have been developed and are being implemented, and adverse food and feeding stuffs sample results are followed-up appropriately.

Officers use a range of informal and formal enforcement options to secure compliance, including letters, voluntary surrenders of food for destruction, hygiene improvement notices, and voluntary closures of food businesses.

The Authority�s electronic database did not appear to be an up to date, accurate record of the Authority�s food law enforcement activities, leading to doubts as to the accuracy of the monitoring data that the Authority sends to the Agency.

Service performance is being monitored, although food law enforcement monitoring is not completely in accordance with the Code of Practice.

Following the Agency's audit in August 2006, Stirling Council developed an action plan to address the non-conformities raised.

The Agency notes the progress that has already been made with implementation of the action plan.

The information in the report details the following:

• the original non-conformities identified during the August 2006 audit
• the action the Authority intended to take to address the non-conformity
• the date by which the non-conformity was to be rectified
• the progress to date as notified by the authority in September 2007
• current status of individual non conformities

The actions taken to address the action plan have been noted and audit file has been closed.