Food Service Plan

South Ayrshire Council, Environmental Health/Trading Standards Document No. 1.2

FOOD/FEED SERVICE PLAN 2015/2018

Issue 12 Issued By Brian Lawrie Page 1

Date 02/04/1529/06/2016 Authorised By David Thomson of 3336

South Ayrshire Council

Development Safety & Regulation

FOOD/FEED SERVICE PLAN

2015/2018

South Ayrshire Council, Environmental Health/Trading Standards Document No. 1.2

FOOD/FEED SERVICE PLAN 2015/2018

Issue 12 Issued By Brian Lawrie Page 1

Date 02/04/1529/06/2016 Authorised By David Thomson of 3336

Food Service Plan 2015/2018

1.0 Service Aims & Objectives

1.1 Aims & Objectives

1.1.1 Aims

To deliver an effective and efficient local food enforcement service for South Ayrshire by raising standards of compliance in food businesses, ensuring food produced locally meets all safety requirements and increasing awareness and understanding of food issues in the local community.

NB. For the purpose of this Service Plan and in accordance with the Framework Agreement on Local Authority Food Law Enforcement issued by the Food Standards Scotland, "food" is defined as covering a local authority department’s service covering either food hygiene, food standards or feeding stuffs or a combination of these activities.

1.2  Links to Corporate Objectives and Plans

1.2.1 The Service Plan is built upon the South Ayrshire Council’s Vision contained in the document “Securing the Future (December 2008)” in which the purpose of the Council is defined as:

“Our vision is to establish South Ayrshire as the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland”

1.2.2 The Council has taken the decision to adopt 3 year budgeting. To support this move service planning replicates this timeframe. The plan will be reviewed each year and changes made as required.

1.3  Scope of the Service Plan

This plan covers the full range of duties involved in the enforcement food and feedingstuffs. The contents are:

2.0 Background

2.1  Profile of the Local Authority

2.2 Organisational Structure

2.3  Scope of the Food Service

2.4  Demands on the Food Service

2.5 Enforcement Policy

3.0 Service Delivery

3.1 Food and Feedingstuffs Premises Inspections

3.2 Food and Feedingstuffs Complaints

3.3  Home Authority Principle

3.4 Advice to Businesses

3.5 Food and Feedingstuffs Inspection and Sampling

3.6 Control and Investigation of Outbreaks and Food Related Infectious Disease

3.7  Food Safety Incidents

3.8  Liaison with Other Organisations

3.9  Food and Feedingstuffs Safety and Standards Promotion

4.0 Resources

4.1 Financial Allocation

4.2 Staffing Allocation

4.3 Staff Development Plan

5.0  Areas for Development

6.0 Quality Assessment

7.0 Review

7.1 Review of the Service Plan

7.2 Indication of Any Variance from Service Plan

7.3 Areas of Improvement

Appendix 1 Review of Cross Contamination Project

Appendix 2 Sampling Programme 2015/2016 and Sampling Programme 2016/2017

Appendix 23 Improving Food Safety

South Ayrshire Council, Environmental Health/Trading Standards Document No. 1.2

FOOD/FEED SERVICE PLAN 2015/2018

Issue 12 Issued By Brian Lawrie Page 1

Date 02/04/1529/06/2016 Authorised By David Thomson of 3336

2.0 Background

2.1 Profile of the Local Authority

South Ayrshire is a unitary Local Authority governed by 30 elected members. South Ayrshire covers 422 square miles on the southwest of Scotland. The area extends from Troon in the North to Ballantrae in the South and includes the towns of Ayr, Troon, Prestwick, Maybole and Girvan with an estimated population of some 112,910. The total land area measures 120,223 hectares. The percentage of this land in Agricultural use is 68.9. The Council has its administrative centre in Ayr. The South Ayrshire economy is broadly based, with a strong manufacturing sector, a well-developed service sector and a farming sector comprising mainly dairy, beef, lamb and some arable. The Ports of Ayr and Troon and an international airport at Prestwick serve the area. During the summer the population of the district rises considerably due to a major influx of tourists. Consequently tourism plays a major part in the district economy. Moreover there is a large holiday complex situated on the outskirts of Ayr.

2.2. Organisational Structure

South Ayrshire Council operates on a Cabinet Structure with Departments reporting to a Portfolio Group who in return report to the Full Council. Development & Environment report to the Regulatory Panel. The Executive Director of Economy, Neighbourhood and Environment is Lesley Bloomer, the Head of Neighbourhood Services is Mike Newall. The Trading Standards and Environmental Health Manager is David Thomson. The Service remit comprises the full range of Environmental Health and Trading Standards functions, including Building Standards, Roads, Planning and Economic Development. Brian Lawrie, Team Leader, Environmental Health is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of food hygiene and food standards enforcement and is the Lead Officer for both within the terms of the Food Law Code of Practice Scotland. Maureen McLarty, Trading Standards Officer, is the nominated Lead Officer for the purpose of the Feed Law Enforcement Code of Practice. Being Lead Officer in Agriculture, she is responsible for the enforcement of both Fertilisers and Animal Feeding Stuffs.

2.3  Scope of the Food Service

2.3.1 Environmental Health Service

Environmental Health professionals comprise Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) and Food Safety Officers (FSO’s) who undertake food hygiene and food standards inspection work in accordance with a predetermined programme of inspections. Food sampling is linked to this programme and is carried out in accordance with a predetermined sampling policy and procedure. Food complaints and food related matters are investigated by these Officers. Our FSO’s are mainly engaged in these duties on a full time basis. However our EHO’s are multi-disciplinary and work across the range of Environmental Health disciplines.

The range of food activities undertaken by Environmental Health is as follows:

·  Food hygiene inspections are carried out in accordance with a pre-determined programme.

·  Dedicated food standards inspections are carried out for high and medium risk categories. Low risk food standards inspections are combined with programmed food hygiene inspections.

·  Compliance visits to food premises are undertaken at the request of the Licensing Board.

·  Complaint investigations;

·  Communicable disease investigations;

·  Food Alert investigations;

·  Formal and informal sampling;

·  Issue of export certificates;

·  Port Health activities

·  Licensing, registration and approval of premises;

·  Controlling the importation of foodstuffs though the Air and Seaports;

·  Food Safety promotion;

·  Health and Nutrition promotion

·  FSMS Business Support

·  Maintenance of the Food Hygiene Information System

·  Assessing premises for the FSS EatSafe Awards

Within Environmental Health, all officers working in food enforcement are authorised in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice dependent on qualifications and experience. A full range of informal and formal approaches to enforcement are employed to ensure compliance with relevant legislation including: -

·  Advice and mentoring

·  Written warnings;

·  Enforcement notices;

·  Remedial Action Notices

·  Emergency prohibition procedures and voluntary closure of premises;

·  Inspection, detention, seizure and voluntary surrender of food not meeting food safety requirements;

·  Referrals to the Procurator Fiscal;

2.3.2 Trading Standards Service

Trading Standards Officers carry out animal feedingstuffs enforcement functions in accordance with the qualification requirements of The Feed Law Code of Practice. A number of risk based inspections for food and feed at the Primary Production level are carried out on an annual basis in accordance with a pre-determined Service Level Agreement between The Trading Standards Service and The Food Standards Scotland. Sampling of animal feedingstuffs has moved from the pre-planned in-house approach to being co-ordinated at the regional level: Procurement is risk based and in accordance with the Sampling Priorities listed in the annual National Feed Enforcement Priorities for Local Authorities. Sampling is carried out in accordance with the sampling procedures laid down in Commission Regulations 152/2009 and 691/2013 which laydown the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed.

Sampling is also carried out routinely at the local feed mill and in response to any complaint received.

In keeping with the Feed Enforcement Code of Practice the Trading Standards Service has set up and implemented a documented procedure for the authorisation of its officers.

Albeit that officers working on feedingstuffs related matters are multi-skilled and are responsible for the enforcement of a wide range of consumer legislation, they are also suitably qualified, experienced and competent to carry out the wide range of enforcement duties required in respect of feedingstuffs legislation.

The range of enforcement activities undertaken by Trading Standards is as follows:

·  Inspections are carried out on a regular basis to; the local feed manufacturers, the Port Authority, intermediaries and suppliers. Inspections are also carried out at Primary Producer premises in accordance with Feed and Food Hygiene legislation. They are risk based.

·  Active promotion of the registration of all unregistered premises throughout the area. Producers who have failed to register with the Service, or have failed to notify the Service of any material change to their activities, are targeted for inspection.

·  Joint inspectionsare carried out between the Animal Medicines Inspectorate and the lead officer of this Service where medicinal feed production is a matter of concern.

·  Animal Health and Welfare inspections are also carried out by the Trading Standards Service at the same time as the Food and Feed Hygiene inspections. This is an attempt to reduce the foot-fall and burden of enforcement on farms.

·  Liaison with the Scottish Government’s Rural Payment and Inspections Directorate (RPID)allows the Trading Standards Service to focus on those premises not targeted by the Government’s Directorate for Food and Rural Communities for inspection.

·  Controls at markets regarding animal movement records, passports, transportation, disinfection and cleansing.

Trading Standards also employ a full range of informal and formal approaches to enforcement to ensure compliance with relevant legislation from the following: -

·  Advice to Business

·  Routine Inspection

·  Registration and Approval

·  Complaint investigation

·  Written warnings

·  Enforcement notices

·  Improvement Notices

·  Prohibition Notices

·  Sampling

·  Emergency prohibition procedures

·  Detention and seizure of feedingstuffs

·  Reports to the Procurator Fiscal

2.4  Demands on the Food Service

2.4.1 Demands on Environmental Health Service

The total number of food businesses in the district is detailed below.

Food

Primary Producers* / 107
Slaughterhouses / 2
Manufacturer/Processor and Packer / 37
Importers/Exporters / 4
Distributors / 10
Retailers / 287
Restaurants & Other Caterers / 975
Manufacturer selling mainly by retail / 22

Total

/ 1444

*Does not include 570 Farms which forms part of the primary producer inspection programme.

2.4.2 Demands on Trading Standards Service

Primary Producers / 570
Slaughterhouses / 1
Manufacturer/Processor / 2
Packers / 0
Importers/Exporters / 1
Distributors / 4
Retailers / 14
Restaurants & Other Caterers / 0
Material and Article / 2
Manufacturers Mainly Selling by Retail / 0

Total

/ 594

2.4.3  Of these premises the breakdown of Registrations/Approvals is as follows:

Approved Fishery Products / 2
Approved Fishery & meat products / 1
Approved Meat Products Manufacturers / 2
Approved Dairy Products / 2
Approved Cold Stores / 1
Approved Meat Products and Preparations / 1
Approved Meat Preparations / 5
Approved Fishery & Live Bivalve Molluscs / 3
Approved Egg Packers / 1
Registered feedingstuffs establishments / 441
Approved feedingstuffs establishments / 1
Non Registered Non Approved / 90 (approximately)

2.4.4 Responsibility for food enforcement within the following premises is split between South Ayrshire as the local food authority and Food Standards Scotland Operational Branch:

·  Belcher Food Products, Glenburn Rd, Prestwick. (Licensed cutting plant and Approved Minced Meat & Meat Preparation Plant and Meat Products Plant)

·  We Hae Meat Ltd, Cairnhill Farm, Old Dailly, Girvan. (Licensed cutting plant and Approved Minced Meat & Meat Preparation Plant and Meat Products Plant)

There are on-going discussions with regard the enforcement of one of our approved fishery products establishments due to the poultry cutting which has been referred to the Food Standards Agency Scotland.

There is an abattoir within the town of Ayr, however the enforcement authority is Food Standards Scotland Operational Branch.

A small percentage of premises within the area are of ethnic origin, mainly Cantonese and Asian. Most of these premises have personnel available who are sufficiently fluent in English to ensure a smooth communication flow of information. Notwithstanding this however, our policy in relation to ethnic minority language speakers ensures the food business operator provides an interpreter during inspections. Where required, in case of enforcement action the Service provides a translation service.

2.4.5  The food enforcement, safety and standards service is operated from Environmental Health, Burns House, Burns Statue Square, Ayr KA7 1UT and is available between the hours of 08:45 – 16:45 Monday to Thursday and 08:45 – 16:00 on Fridays.

2.4.6  Prestwick Airport and the harbours of Ayr and Troon occasionally import products of non-animal origin from third countries. We monitor these imports and sample where necessary to ensure compliance with food safety requirement. There is no enhanced remote transit sheds located in the area.

2.4.7  The enforcement of feedingstuffs legislation is operated from the Trading Standards Service, 5/7 River Terrace, Ayr, KA8 0BJ. Normal Business hours are between 08.45 and 16.45 Monday to Thursday and 08:45 – 16:00 on Fridays. In the event of an emergency, additional arrangements will be put in place.

2.4.8 It is accepted that the provision of a complete and comprehensive food enforcement service requires Officers to be available out with normal office hours. Arrangements are in place to react to emergency situations and pre-determined situations requiring investigation out with normal office hours.