UK Food Agencies Concerned about Resources Available for Safety Inspections – Food Safety Magazine

UK Food Safety Testing Resources Under Pressure: A Focus on Sustainable Development Goals

Two key UK agencies, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), have expressed concerns regarding the availability of resources for food safety testing. These concerns are detailed in the report titled “Our Food 2024: An annual review of food standards across the UK.” The report highlights ongoing challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic backlog and staffing shortages.

Resource Constraints and Impact on Food Safety Inspections

The report identifies a significant pressure on local authority food standards resources, noting a long-term decline in occupied food hygiene and food standards posts. Key findings include:

1. In Scotland, 20% of all allocated food safety roles were vacant at the end of 2024.
2. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland showed some staffing improvements between 2022/23 and 2023/24, yet post-pandemic backlogs remain.
3. A backlog of 95,000 overdue inspections exists in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including 871 high-risk businesses.
4. In Scotland, 17.2% (12,533 out of 72,950) of registered food businesses were unrated as of December 2024.

Despite these challenges, nine out of ten UK food businesses covered by the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) maintain satisfactory or better ratings. It is important to note that these ratings apply only to businesses selling or serving food directly to the public.

Managing the Post-Pandemic Inspection Backlog

Local authorities continue to manage a high volume of overdue inspections accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report emphasizes several factors affecting backlog reduction:

• Newly recruited staff often require ongoing training and supervision to gain professional experience.
• Recruitment and retention of competent food safety officers remain challenging.
• Some food safety officers are diverted to non-food safety duties, impacting inspection capacity.
• Increased staffing levels are expected to gradually reduce overdue inspections, but significant improvements will take time.

Compliance in Meat and Dairy Establishments

The report highlights strong compliance with hygiene standards among UK meat and dairy establishments, contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

• All approved meat establishments in Northern Ireland and most in England, Wales, and Scotland achieved good or satisfactory ratings by December 2024.
• Dairy farms in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland maintained high compliance rates, ranging from 98.7% to 99.9%.
• In Scotland, increased inspections (230 in 2023/24 vs. 73 in 2022/23) led to fewer enforcement actions (11 vs. 24), reflecting broader audit scopes beyond high-risk farms.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The findings and ongoing efforts detailed in the report align with several SDGs, including:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – Ensuring safe and nutritious food through effective food safety standards.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Protecting public health by maintaining high hygiene standards in food businesses.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Addressing workforce challenges in food safety roles to support sustainable economic activity.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – Promoting sustainable food production and consumption through rigorous inspection and compliance.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Collaboration between UK agencies to enhance food safety standards nationwide.

Conclusion and Further Information

The report underscores the critical need to address resource shortages and inspection backlogs to maintain and improve food safety standards across the UK. These efforts contribute directly to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring safe food systems, protecting public health, and supporting sustainable economic growth.

The full report is available here.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • Ensuring food safety and hygiene directly supports food security and nutrition.
2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Food safety testing and hygiene standards help prevent foodborne illnesses, promoting health.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Issues related to staffing shortages and workforce challenges in food safety agencies relate to employment quality and economic productivity.
4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • Maintaining food hygiene and safety standards encourages sustainable consumption and production patterns.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Identified

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
   • Target 2.2: End all forms of malnutrition, including achieving food safety standards.
2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.9: Reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination, including foodborne diseases.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments.
4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • Target 12.4: Achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle.
   • Target 12.6: Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) Ratings
   • Percentage of food businesses with satisfactory or better ratings (e.g., nine out of 10 UK food businesses rated satisfactory or better).
   • Number and percentage of unrated businesses (e.g., 17.2% of registered businesses in Scotland unrated).
2. Inspection Backlogs and Overdue Inspections
   • Number of overdue inspections (e.g., 95,000 overdue inspections in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland).
   • Number of high-risk businesses with overdue inspections (e.g., 871 high-risk businesses).
3. Staffing Levels and Vacancies
   • Percentage of vacant food safety roles (e.g., 20% vacancies in Scotland).
   • Recruitment and retention rates of competent food safety officers.
4. Compliance Rates in Meat and Dairy Establishments
   • Percentage of establishments meeting hygiene standards (e.g., 98.7% to 99.9% compliance in dairy farms).
   • Number of enforcement actions taken (e.g., fewer enforcement actions in Scotland in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: food-safety.com