Training and funding
The Food Standards Agency provides help for officers to develop their knowledge through training tools, professional courses and funding for local authority-led work.
Food law, and its enforcement, changes over time. It is essential that enforcement officers keep up to date with these changes.
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Training for feed and food law enforcement officers
One of the Agency's commitments is to improve the safety of the nation's food. We work with local authorities to further develop their enforcement services. One area in which we are active is a continuing programme of quality update training for local authority feed and food law enforcement officers at a cost that is affordable to local authorities.
Online training for enforcement officers
The Agency has made available a number of training tools to help enforcement officers with their work. These include an interactive tool on food allergy and videos on food sampling and food hygiene.
Grants for local initiatives
The Agency has run schemes to provide grants to support and encourage local authorities to develop and implement local food hygiene initiatives since 2003 in England and since 2004 in Scotland.
Safer food, better business toolkit for local authorities
A 'Safer food, better business' (SFBB) toolkit to help local authority food law enforcement officers implement food safety management with businesses in their area is available online.
Grants for SFBB training
The Food Standards Agency has a programme of grants to support Safer Food better Business (SFBB) – an innovative and practical approach that helps small businesses put in place food safety management systems.
Sources of funding for food related initiatives
Guidance for local authorities on alternative sources of funding for food related initiatives, including tips on preparing funding bids, is available.
Student placement scheme
For the last five years, the Agency has funded a scheme in partnership with local authorities to help address the well-known difficulties in funding placements for environmental health students.