FSA: Development of the Improved Food Hygiene Delivery Model (FHDM)

What is the Food Hygiene Delivery Model?

Earlier this month the FSA developed a new modernised Food Hygiene Delivery Model (FHDM) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With food hygiene and safety rapidly changing the new model will help to better protect consumers.

By replacing the current system with a risk-based strategy approach, the suggested model seeks to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the food hygiene delivery system.

The Consultation 

To make sure that the suggested model is applicable to a variety of industries and sizes of food businesses, the consultation will solicit input from local governments, local businesses, and other stakeholders.

The FSA seeks to promote transparency and encourage compliance from food firms by modernising the food hygiene delivery system. Yet, it is crucial to make sure that the new model does not burden smaller enterprises with needless regulations. The new model also needs to be supported by effective training programmes and resources for food businesses and inspectors to ensure its successful implementation.

“We want people to have food they can trust. So we want to make sure local authorities and district councils can target their resources as effectively as possible as we develop a food hygiene regulatory model that is fit for the future.

Our proposals will enable local authorities to spend more of their time on food businesses that are non-compliant or pose the highest risk to public health, thereby reducing regulatory burdens on compliant or low-risk businesses.“ ~ Katie Pettifer, FSA Director for Strategy and Regulatory Compliance

The FSA has advised that their stakeholders should provide their views and opinions on the current development of the FHDM:

• A modernised food hygiene intervention rating scheme, including a decision matrix, to determine the appropriate frequency of food hygiene controls based on the risk posed by a food business establishment
• An updated risk-based approach to the timescales for initial official controls of new food establishments, and for undertaking due official controls
• Increased flexibility as to the methods and techniques of official controls that can be used to risk rate an establishment, including the appropriate use of remote assessment
• Extending the activities that officers, such as Regulatory Support Officers, who do not hold a ‘suitable qualification’ for food hygiene can, if competent, undertake.

For Your Information

For full information on the consultation for the FHDM  follow this link here.

The consultation will close at 23:59 on Friday 30 June 2023.

You can provide comments and views on the consultation response form and email this to hygienemodelreview@food.gov.uk

Authors

Ricky Sharpe ~ Principal Consultant, Lead of the Commercial Division

Nick Cheung ~ Lead Marketing Executive

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