Food Control Systems - Essay Example

Evaluation of the Efficiency of the Food Control Systems in UK Countries need to have effective food control systems which are important in protecting the health and general safety of consumers. National food control systems are also essential in helping countries ensure that high standards are upheld in foods that are entering or going out of the country (Watson, 2009). Globalization and international trade of food substances has put pressure on governments to tighten their food control regulations and strategies. The UK food control system is normally described as being high income urban food system. This is due to the classification of UK as a high income country (Lawley, Curtis and Davies, 2008). Changes in eating habits, centralized processing as well as large-scale production have all affected the food system in the country. The British system of food control focuses on food safety problems. The responsibility of taking care of the other aspects of food control is in the hands of the food industry (McEhatton and MArshall, 2007). In the UK, consumers are aware of the way food is processed and marketed and they play an important role in ensuring that food control systems are not violated. Food Control Management in the UK According to FAO, food control management can be described as the “continuous process of planning, organizing, coordinating and communicating a broad range of risk-based decisions and actions” which are designed to ensure that the quality and safety of imported and locally produced food for all consumers is upheld (Wallace, Sperber and Mortimore, 2010). Food control management is a practice that covers operational responsibilities and policy implementation of various government departments in relation to food control. The food management system in the UK is centralized. The government is responsible for ensuring that food safety regulations are followed throughout the country (McEhatton and MArshall, 2007). In practice this responsibility is shared by both the central and local government. The central authorities charged with the responsibility of ensuring food control rules are followed are the Food Standards Agency, Defra as well as the Agriculture Department. The main job of monitoring and inspection is carried out by the local authorities. Local Foods Authorities (LA) and the Port Local Authorities (PLAs) carry out food safety and standard checks on food products at points of entry. LAs are also responsible for checking foods on the inland (Staete, 2008). The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an autonomous Department in the central government that is responsible for providing enforcement support, advice and audit services to Local Authority food control systems. The department is primarily concerned with contamination of food, public health aspects related to food and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Fees (RASFF). The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) carries out competent veterinary checks and is responsible for the general animal health issues in the UK. The State Veterinary Service also plays an integral role in the country’s food control system. It provides support to other enforcement agencies that work to ensure that food being sold in UK is safe and healthy (Pico, 2007). The government has introduced some initiatives whose main objective is to improve food controls in the country. Two of these initiatives is FSA’s ‘Step Change in Imported Food Control Enforcement’ and Defra’s Illegal Import Action Plan. These government initiated projects aim to build communication links between various control agencies with the objective of food control implementation more efficient (Staete, 2008). Food Legislation Unified legislation as well as strong surveillance, monitoring and enforcement guidelines are vital in enabling the UK to maintain an effective food control system. The main legal control of food control in the United Kingdom can be found in the Food Safety Act 1990. The regulations control the importation and distribution of food to the masses. As a member of the EU community, the UK must abide by the food control regulations that have been set forth by the body. For instance, the EU Regulation 882/2004 sets the conditions under which foods which are known to be of high risk are to be imported and distributed to the people (Campbell-Platt, 2009). The UK food control laws clealy define the standards of foods that should be sold to the population for consumption (Watson, 2009). Food Inspection and Audit An efficient food inspection service is required to implement food control laws and regulations in any given country (Holy and Lindsay, 2006). Some of the most important responsibilities of the food inspection services are: inspection of premises and food processes to ensure there is compliance with regulations, evaluation of food control plans and follow up on their implementation, food sampling during and after harvesting, processing, storage, transit and sale (Watson, 2009). All this is normally done in order to contribute information that can be sued for risk assessment. Inspection by food control agencies in the UK enables the relevant authorities to recognize and identify those food substances that are unfit for human consumption. When the law is breached, it is the inspection agencies which recognize, collect and transmit evidence for the purpose of prosecution (Lawley, Curtis and Davies, 2008). In 2003, an audit programme on the imported food control systems for FNAO of various local authorities was carried out in the UK (Ortega-Rivas, 2009). Since then, there have been many such audits which have been entrenched into the overall audit programme of FSA. Audit and inspection usually go hand in hand. They help to identify those food products that are healthy and those which are not fit for human consumption (Wallace, Sperber and Mortimore, 2010). Official Food Control Laboratories Laboratories are very important in food control systems as they provide vital information about how safe food is (Griffith, 2009). The FSA is not directly involved with the day to d ay running of food monitoring laboratories in the UK. However, the agency practices control over the laboratories by setting norms that the laboratories can use to monitor their performance. The location of many laboratories in the UK is normally determined by the volume of work as well as system requirements in a certain region (Wallace, Sperber and Mortimore, 2010). The laboratories in the UK normally carry out analytical work whose results are used to run the food control system. They are all well equipped with facilities for microbiological, physical and chemical analyses (Griffith, 2009). Some of the laboratories that can be found in the UK include: Bristol City Council Scientific Services, Kent Scientific Services, West Yorkshire Analytical Services, Somerset Scientific Services, Hampshire Scientific Services and the Health Protection Agency. Food Safety and Quality Information In the UK the dissemination of food safety and quality information is in the hands of the central government Food control department. This department coordinates the overall communication that is meant to create awareness among members of the public. DEFRA focuses on inland audiences while HMRC take scare of third country tourists. They are also responsible for giving food control information at the various points of entry. The main objective of this communication is to minimize the amount of illegal food products brought into the country due to the fact that people are not aware of the rules (Holy and Lindsay, 2006). HMRC produces some high impact leaflets and posters which are intended to help people better understand food safety and quality information and rules. The agency also produces videos and conducts in-flight announcements about food control regulations. There are several travel magazines which carry advertisements related to food safety and quality. This same information can be found at trade and regional agricultural shows around the country (Schmidt and Rorick, 2005). Defra has also been involved in creating awareness and providing food safety and quality information to organizations and institutions within the country. There are several bi-lingual posters and leaflets which have been distributed in different parts of the UK. These bilingual posters and leaflets are normally targeted for places of worship, community groups and visa offices (Food Standards Agency, 2008). Defra’s website has also been created in such a way that people can access information about food safety and quality without a problem. There have also been well coordinated mobile units that have been travelling the country and spreading this information to people from different cultures and social backgrounds. The mobile units and leaflets/posters were supplemented by adequate media coverage in the national and local press. Information sharing is also encouraged in all departments that are related to food control systems (Tansey and Rajotte, 2008). This makes it easier to disseminate the same information to the public. Conclusion The food control system in the UK is highly efficient, and well managed. Food safety is a primary concern of the system. The food control management is through central and local government agencies such as FSA and Defra. These same agencies are responsible for inspection and auditing of food processes so that they are fit for human consumption. The laws and regulations that govern food control in the country set the standards for production and distribution so that people’s health is not endangered by eating unsafe food. Agencies also have the responsibility of informing the masses about food safety and quality to ensure that no rules are broken unknowingly. The food control system in the UK is well established and the people are also aware of what quality of food they should buy and which they should not. References Campbell-Platt, G. (2009). Food Science and Technology. Oxford: John Wiley and Sons Food Standards Agency. (2008). National Control Plan for the United Kingdom. Accessed 4 Jan, 2010: Griffith, C.J. (2005). Are we making the most of food safety inspections? A glimpse into the future. British Food Journal, 107(3), pp. 132-139 Holy, A. and Lindsay, D. (2006). British food journal, an international multi-discplinary joural for the dissemination of foord-related research: Food safety: thinking globally, acting locally. London: Emerald Lawley, R., Curtis, L and Davies, J. (2008). The food safety hazard guidebook. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry McElhatton, A. and Marshall, R. (2007). Food safety: A practical and case study approach. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing Ortega-Rivas, E. (2009). Processing effects on safety and quality of foods. London: Taylor and Francis Pico, Y. (2007). Food Toxicants Analysis: Techniques, Strategies and Developments. Oxford: Elsevier Schmidt, R.H. and Rodrick, G. E. (2005). Food safety handbook. London: Wiley-IEEE Staete, E.P. (2008). Modes of Qualities in Development of Specialty Food. British Food Journal, 110(1), pp. 62-75 Tansey, G. and Rajotte, T. (2008). 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