Evaluation of Food Standards pilot: Conclusions

The pilot project to test the proposed delivery model has been an important step towards the national roll-out of the proposed FSDM. It has also contributed to the ABC Programme workstream ‘targeted and proportionate regulation’, that aims to design a more targeted and proportionate approach to LA regulation of all food businesses within their remit. 

The testing of the proposed FSDM, which incorporates a revised risk assessment scheme and more emphasis on intelligence as a driver for LA regulatory activity, has been a success. Despite some challenges, the pilot has shown that the proposed model works better that the existing one. It is more effective at targeting high risk businesses, at identifying non-compliances and resolving them, and at giving LAs flexibility on how to target their resources. The intelligence function is still being developed, and, while not fully operational yet, the concept was very well received by LAs, and there are already early signs that indicate increased intelligence sharing is happening.