Key recommendations designed to prevent another E.coli outbreak in Wales have been embedded into routine practice by Welsh local authorities, an independent report has found.
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Food and Feed Law Enforcement Review in Wales, commissioned in January 2014, looks at what progress has been made to implement the recommendations of the Pennington inquiry into the South Wales E.coli O157 outbreak in 2005.
Key findings from the new report, which looks at food and animal feed safety, include:
- The majority of local authorities have embedded the recommendations of the 2009 Pennington report into their practices and procedures following the public inquiry into the E.coli O157 outbreak in South Wales in 2005;
- The FSA set up a food hygiene delivery programme in response to the inquiry’s recommendations and has taken forward a comprehensive programme of work to improve food hygiene delivery and enforcement across the UK;
- Local authority data has confirmed significant improvements in the proportion of food businesses in Wales which are compliant with food hygiene law;
- The introduction of the food hygiene rating scheme and collaborative working between local authorities, the FSA and the Welsh Government has empowered consumers to make informed choices about where they eat. Wales is the only part of the UK where it is law that all businesses must display their rating;
- Local authorities’ management of food hygiene interventions in newly-registered food premises has improved since 2011.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said:
“One of the recommendations of Professor Hugh Pennington’s 2009 report following the public inquiry was that a substantial review of food hygiene enforcement in Wales should take place five years later. I was therefore pleased to commission this report from the FSA.
“Local authorities have a very important role to play in helping to ensure food safety and to protect consumers from food fraud. I welcome the findings of the FSA’s report – it is comprehensive and transparent and it identifies areas of work where good progress has been made and where further improvements are necessary.
“The FSA has noted the continuing professionalism and dedication of local authority officers. I am confident that by working together we can address the areas of concern in the report.
“The introduction of a statutory food hygiene ratings Scheme in Wales has led to significant improvements in the proportion of food businesses which are broadly compliant with food hygiene law. Local authorities, the FSA and the Welsh Government worked in partnership to introduce this important scheme, which is providing consumers with information to enable them to make informed choices of where to eat or to buy food.
“It is also pleasing to see there is a commitment from Directors of Public Protection representing the Welsh local authorities to continue working with the FSA to ensure effective safeguards in relation to both food and feed safety.
“A key concern in the report is there has been little improvement on the delivery of official feed controls. To address this, my officials are working with the FSA and other Welsh Government departments to explore options to ensure the necessary improvements in the delivery of animal feed enforcement. I want to see a working solution in operation by April 2015.”
Tim Bennett, chair of the FSA, said:
“The agency welcomed the Welsh Government’s commission to consider the progress of food and feed safety in Wales since 2009 and the opportunity to advise on the capacity, capabilities and other challenges facing Wales.
“We are pleased this report is now being published. We will be working with local authorities on the findings of this review, and continuing our work with them on the delivery of effective and risk-based food and feed safety and standards controls in Wales.
“The FSA has identified future challenges facing local authorities in the delivery of official food and feed controls.
“It is the agency’s intention to continue its audit of local authority services to establish the position on service delivery and also to refocus the support offered to those authorities, so appropriate improvements can be made in a timely manner.”
