Purpose

 
The Framework Agreement on Official Feed and
Food Controls by Local Authorities is issued by the Food Standard
Agency and provides the framework to implement the Food Standards
Agency powers under the Food Standards Act and to influence and
oversee local authority enforcement activity.
 
The framework also requires that the Food
Service Plan be suitably approved, whether this is by Senior
Officers or by members.
 
The Service Plan being discussed is the way in
which we ensure that we meet the framework requirements and
allocate resources dedicated to the food law enforcement functions
undertaken by the Environmental Health Service.
 
The food service plan follows the Food
Standards Agency recovery plan objectives and also includes details
of progress made against the plan in 2022/23.
 
The role of the Council and Environmental
Health changed significantly during 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and
continued into 2022/2023. Priority was given to local contact
tracing, investigation of workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 and
following up on COVID -19 complaints. These priorities changed
slightly in early 2022 in line with government
guidance.  Resources from the team that
were diverted to reducing the spread of COVID -19 have now been
returned to the team.
 
The Council have and followed the COVID 19
Local Authority Recovery guidance issued by the FSA throughout the
pandemic and have prioritised business as normal activities in line
with this guidance and focused on the risk to public health for
example inspecting high risk food premises as a priority. This
guidance covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 2023/24. This has
now been revoked and the service is now working in line with
Practice Guidance and the Food Law Code of Practice.
 
There is still a small level of uncertainty at
this current time due to the ongoing impact of Covid 19. This may
require that objectives change throughout the year, however the
general trend for the food team is moving back to a more business
as usual approach to the delivery of food controls where previously
the focus was on recovery.
 
We exceeded the time frames for the objectives
within the recovery plan. Therefore we request that the Food
Service Plan is now approved.
 
 
 

Decision

The Framework Agreement on Official Feed and
Food Controls by Local Authorities is issued by the Food Standard
Agency and provides the framework to implement the Food Standards
Agency powers under the Food Standards Act and to influence and
oversee local authority enforcement activity.
 
The framework also requires that the Food
Service Plan be suitably approved, whether this is by Senior
Officers or by members.
 
The Service Plan being discussed is the way in
which we ensure that we meet the framework requirements and
allocate resources dedicated to the food law enforcement functions
undertaken by the Environmental Health Service.
 
The food service plan follows the Food
Standards Agency recovery plan objectives and also includes details
of progress made against the plan in 2022/23.
 
The role of the Council and Environmental
Health changed significantly during 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and
continued into 2022/2023. Priority was given to local contact
tracing, investigation of workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 and
following up on COVID -19 complaints. These priorities changed
slightly in early 2022 in line with government
guidance.  Resources from the team that
were diverted to reducing the spread of COVID -19 have now been
returned to the team.
 
The Council have and followed the COVID 19
Local Authority Recovery guidance issued by the FSA throughout the
pandemic and have prioritised business as normal activities in line
with this guidance and focused on the risk to public health for
example inspecting high risk food premises as a priority. This
guidance covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 2023/24. This has
now been revoked and the service is now working in line with
Practice Guidance and the Food Law Code of Practice.
 
There is still a small level of uncertainty at
this current time due to the ongoing impact of Covid 19. This may
require that objectives change throughout the year, however the
general trend for the food team is moving back to a more business
as usual approach to the delivery of food controls where previously
the focus was on recovery.
 
We exceeded the time frames for the objectives
within the recovery plan. Therefore we request that the Food
Service Plan is now approved.