Food Law Practice Guidance (England) (Issued October 2015) Food Law Practice Guidance (October 2015) Page 1 of 265 Table of Chapters Table of Chapters .................................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 1 - Preface ................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 2 - Communications .............................................................................................. 11 2.1 Inter-authority Communication .......................................................................... 11 2.1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 11 2.1.2 Single-tier Competent Authorities ..................................................................... 11 2.1.3 Two-tier Food Competent Authorities ............................................................... 11 2.1.4 Service to Consumers ...................................................................................... 11 2.1.5 Regional and Local Liaison Groups .................................................................. 11 2.2 Managing Incidents and Alerts.......................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Food incidents .................................................................................................. 12 2.2.2 Food Alerts ....................................................................................................... 14 2.2.3 Documentation.................................................................................................. 14 2.3 Communication between Competent Authorities .............................................. 15 2.3.1 Information Supplied to the FSA ....................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Liaison with other Member States ..................................................................... 15 Chapter 3 - Administration .................................................................................................. 19 3.1 Requirements to Deliver Official Controls ......................................................... 19 3.1.1 Conflicts of Interest ........................................................................................... 19 3.1.2 Powers of Entry ................................................................................................ 19 3.1.3 Crown and police premises .............................................................................. 19 3.2 Registration of Food Establishments ................................................................ 23 3.2.1 What is a food establishment? .......................................................................... 23 3.2.2 Who is a food business operator? .................................................................... 25 3.2.3 Registration procedure ..................................................................................... 26 3.2.4 Multisite and satellite operations ....................................................................... 28 3.2.5 Moveable establishments ................................................................................. 30 3.2.6 Other types of establishments .......................................................................... 33 3.3 Food business establishments subject to Approval under Regulation 853/2004 .......................................................................................................... 35 3.3.1 Approval of product-specific establishments subject to approval under Regulation 853/2004 ......................................................................................... 35 3.3.2 Approval Number / Identification marks ............................................................ 37 3.3.3 Enforcement in Approved Establishments ........................................................ 37 3.3.4 Documentation.................................................................................................. 38 3.4. Food Business Establishment Records ............................................................ 39 3.4.1 Data Protection / Freedom of Information ......................................................... 39 3.5 Reports following intervention ........................................................................... 39 3.5.1 Information Requirement .................................................................................. 39 3.5.2 Retention of Establishment Record Files .......................................................... 39 3.5.3 Retention of Import Documentation .................................................................. 40 3.5.4 Model Intervention Report Form ....................................................................... 40 3.5.5 Internal Monitoring ............................................................................................ 40 Food Law Practice Guidance (October 2015) Page 2 of 265 3.5.6 Competent Authority Management Information Systems (MIS) ........................ 40 Chapter 4 - Qualifications and experience ........................................................................ 41 4.1 Introduction – Qualifications and experience .................................................... 41 4.2 Authorisations ................................................................................................... 41 4.3 New members of staff ....................................................................................... 41 4.4 Qualifications equivalent to the baseline qualification ....................................... 41 4.5 Known qualifications with restrictions ............................................................... 42 4.6 Equivalency of qualifications ............................................................................. 43 4.7 Competency framework .................................................................................... 44 4.7.1 Competency assessment structure and case studies ....................................... 46 4.7.2 Lead Food Officer Competencies ..................................................................... 47 4.7.3 Lead Officer Competency Assessment guidance ............................................. 49 4.7.4 Authorised Officer Competency Assessment guidance .................................... 53 4.8 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) ................................................... 59 4.8.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 59 4.8.2 CPD requirements ............................................................................................ 59 4.8.3 ‘Core’ CPD ........................................................................................................ 59 4.8.4 FSA Competent Authority training .................................................................... 60 4.8.5 ‘Other professional matters’ CPD ..................................................................... 60 4.8.6 Evidence of CPD attainment ............................................................................. 61 4.8.7 Recording CPD ................................................................................................. 61 4.8.8 Use of online training courses........................................................................... 61 Chapter 5 – Organisation of Official Controls ................................................................... 63 5.1 Food Service Plans ........................................................................................... 63 5.1.1 Requirement for a Written Service Plan ............................................................ 63 5.2 Interventions and the delivery of Official Controls ............................................. 63 5.2.1 Interventions and Official Control Delivery ........................................................ 63 5.2.2 Inspections/Audits ............................................................................................. 65 5.2.3 Planning and Notification of Interventions ......................................................... 67 5.2.4 Enforcement action and revisits – food hygiene and food standards ................ 67 5.2.5 Co-ordination of Intervention............................................................................. 68 5.2.6 Verification ........................................................................................................ 68 5.2.7 Monitoring and Surveillance ............................................................................. 68 5.2.8 Sampling Visits ................................................................................................. 69 5.2.9 Other Interventions ........................................................................................... 69 5.3 Frequency of Official Controls and Requirements of a Risk Based Approach .. 70 5.3.1 Approach to enforcement – requirement for food safety management procedures based on HACCP principles .......................................................... 70 5.3.2 Alternative Enforcement Strategies .................................................................. 77 5.3.3 Food Hygiene Intervention Frequency .............................................................. 78 5.3.4 Food Standards Intervention Frequency ........................................................... 78 5.3.5 Primary Production