Joint Statement by REHIS, SFELC, SoCOEHS and CoSLA
Following a report by Food Standards Agency Chief Executive, Tim Smith, the FSA Board announced the Agency’s intention to review the food safety official controls delivery within the UK.
Although the strategic aims and objectives of the review are still unclear, a coalition of collaborating professional organisations within Scotland has been formed to gather evidence for submission to the review and to make the evidential suite available to the wider profession in Scotland to assist in any submission those individuals or bodies wished to make.
The organisations involved in the Group are The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS), the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Group (SFELC), the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland (SoCOEHS) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA).
Tim Smith’s report to the FSA Board seemed to favour a move towards a more centralist approach to food safety official controls delivery within the UK, but the discussion at the FSA Board recognised that there are a number of strong links between enforcement officers delivering food controls and other environmental health workstreams. The decision taken was to consider all aspects of food safety delivery with no pre-determined outcomes.
The Group met for the first time on 29 March 2011 to determine a strategy for responding to the review. From the outset, the group made it clear that the member organisations did not object to the Agency carrying out a review and welcomed the opportunity to highlight the successful collaborative working within Scotland as well as, perhaps, determining areas for improvement. The Group also recognised the different enforcement landscape in Scotland with the 32 Unitary Local Authorities and the existing collaborative approach to public health protection. The Group is currently gather useful documentation which will eventually be accessible to all environmental health professionals.
Since the formation of this Group, the Scottish Government has announced its own review of the Food Standards Agency within Scotland. Again the full details of this review have not been released but a report is expected by the end of the year which may overtake the FSA UK review.
The Group is of the opinion that the evidence being gathered will be beneficial in any response to both reviews.
REHIS The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland
SFELC Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee
SoCOEHS Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland
CoSLA Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
17 August 2011
