Food Standards - Find a freedom of information request

Request

1 - Does your authority carry out food standards? 

2 - Does your authority carry out food hygiene work?

3 - If you carry out both, how many officers do standards only, how many officers do hygiene only and and how many do both?

The remaining questions relate ONLY to food standards.

4- Do you currently have a 'lead food officer' for food standards that is qualified and deemed competent?

5 - Is your lead food officer directly employed by your own authority or are they employed by another authority?

6 - How many competent 'authorised officers' do you have for food standards work? (excluding 'lead officer')

7 - How many competent 'regulatory support officers' do you have for food standards work? (excluding 'lead officer')

8 - Section - 3.4.2 of the Food Law Code of Practice lists a number of qualifications in order to be qualified/competent for food standards work. How many of your 'lead officer', 'authorised

officers' or 'regulatory support officers' for food standards have one of the qualifications listed below.

I am only interested in officers who are currently competent to do food work (i.e. do not include employees who have a qualification but are not competent to carry out food standards work):

* CTSI Trading Standards Practitioner Certificate with the Food Standards unit from the Trading Standards Practitioner Diploma

* Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

* Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Higher Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (HDCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

* Diploma in Trading Standards

* Diploma in Consumer Affairs (DCA Part II) provided it includes the Food and Agriculture paper

* Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Certificate of Competence in Food Standards service delivery module

* Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Core Skills Certificate in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (CSCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module

* Diploma in Consumer Affairs Certificate of Competence in Food and Agriculture

NB- if they do not have the above it is assumed they must have one of the alternatives - which are: 

* Higher Certificate in Food Control awarded by EHRB or CIEH

* Higher Certificate in Official Control awarded by SFSORB

* Advanced Professional Certificate in Food Hygiene and Standards Control (APC)

awarded by CIEH

* A Certificate of Registration awarded by the EHRB to practice as an Environmental

Health Practitioner

* A Diploma in Environmental Health awarded by the EHRB or the REHIS

* Degree in Environmental Health

* Masters Degree in Environmental Health

* Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection awarded by the EHRB, IFST or the

SFSORB with the Food Standards Endorsement

* The Higher Certificate in Food Standards Inspection awarded by the SFSORB

* Environmental Health Practitioner (Integrated Degree) Apprenticeship

9 - How many officers (lead, authorised or regulatory support) do you employ that you have assessed as being competent under the FSA Competency Framework in ALL of the following activities:

Sub-activity B1.2: Assessing business compliance with food standards legislation

Sub-activity B2.2: Food standards audits

Sub-activity B5.1: Taking formal samples

Sub-activity C1.1: Preparing investigation files

Sub-activity D3.1: Preparing prosecution files

10 - How many of each of the following food premises do you currently have in your area

* High risk premises / category A

* Medium risk premises / category B

* Low risk premises / category C

11 - How many inspections have been carried out at high risk or category A premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited

every year.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date) 

12 - How many inspections have been carried out at medium risk or category B premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited

every 2 years.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

13 How many inspections have been carried out at low risk or category C premises for each of the following financial years. This refers to businesses that are expected/scored to be visited or subjected to alternative enforcement strategy every 5 years.

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)

14 - How many food samples have you obtained for each of the following years. 'Formal' or 'informal' (i.e. any food product taken/purchased for the purpose of analysis).

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023 (to date)
 

Decision

1. Yes

2. No – Environmental Health at the 7 district councils in Lincolnshire undertake this role in relation to Food Safety

3. N/a

4.Yes

5. Directly employed by Lincolnshire County Council – Trading Standards Department

6. 3, excluding the Lead Officer

7. None, this is not a position held by Trading Standards. Environmental Health hold these positions in Lincolnshire

8. See below with numbers • Trading Standards Qualification Framework (TSQF) Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS) with the Food Standards Service Delivery Module – 2 • Diploma in Consumer Affairs (DCA Part II) provided it includes the Food and Agriculture paper - 2

9. All 4 officers are assessed as competent for each activity 10. • High risk premises / category A 8 • Medium risk premises / category B 617 • Low risk premises / category C 10971

11. 2018-2019 2

2019-2020 1

2020-2021 2

2021-2022 1

2022-2023 (to date) 1

 

12. 2018-2019 13

2019-2020 8

2020-2021 8

2021-2022 14

2022-2023 (to date) 9

 

13. 2018-2019 107

2019-2020 88

2020-2021 76

2021-2022 87

2022-2023 (to date) 20

 

14. 2018-2019 68

2019-2020 106

2020-2021 108

2021-2022 183

2022-2023 (to date) 31 

Reference number
FOI 4568889
Date request received
01/08/22
Date of decision
05/08/22