The Role of the Local Government in Public Health

• Primary food production.
• Food Business Operators
• Infectious Disease Notification and infection control. 

Enforcement officers are employed to work in environmental health, animal health and trading standards. Port health authorities have a responsibility for enforcing international health controls on imports of animals and foods. 

Food Safety Legislation 

Covered by european community legislation. Covers all stages of the production, processing, distribution and placing on the market of food intended for human consumption. The hygiene rules were from 2006. Regulation EC 852/2004- hygiene of foodstuffs. 853- specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin. 854- specific rules for organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption. 

Principles Underpinning the Hygiene Rules

• Primary responsibility for food safety borne by the FBO.
• Food safety ensured through the food chain starting with primary production. 
• Implementation based on HACCP principles.
• Application for basic common hygiene requirements may be further specified for certain categories of food. 
• Registration or approval for certain food establishments.
• Development of guides to good practice for hygiene or the application of HACCP principles to aid FBO to aid all levels of the food chain to comply with hygiene rules. 
• Flexibility provided for food produced in remote areas and for traditional production and methods.

Primary Food Production 

' The production, rearing or growing of primary products including harvesting, milking, farmed animal production prior to slaughter. Also includes fishing, hunting and harvesting of wild products.' Local authority officers enforce animal health/ food hygiene legislation on farms. Arable crop production e.g. contamination of crops or contaminated packaging. Animal husbandry/welfare e.g. care of food animals/feed and biosecurity. 

Identification & Movement of Livestock

• Identification and traceability integral to both disease control and maintaining consumer confidence in farm produce. 
• Cattle-> farm records, passports, and cattle movements.
• Pigs-> identification and pig movements.
• Sheep & goats-> identification & traceability flock requirements. 
• Animals in transit-> transit checks, animal welfare, cleaning and disinfection of vehicles. 

Food Business Operators

• Environmental health officers inspect all food businesses for the purpose of ensuring compliance with food hygiene requirements. Main regulations:

1. Regulation EC 852/2004. 
2. Food hygiene regulation amended 2006. 

• The regulations set out basic hygiene requirements for all aspects of food business from the premises and facilities to the personal hygiene of the staff. 

Food Safety Management Procedures

• All business' must have in place food safety management procedures based on HACCP principles.
• Procedures must be kept up to date.
• SFBB developed to assist SMEs.

Law Enforcement 

• Inspection of premises and food rating A-E.
• Food samples.
• Inspecting records.
• Identifying problems and requiring them to be put right.
• Serving legal notices- improvement or prohibition. 
• Prosecution in serious cases. 

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme 

• How hygienically food is handled.
• Condition of building structure.
• How business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe. 

Public health act 1984 and public health regulations 1988 lists the diseases which must be notified. Dysentery, food poisoning, rabies, TB, tetanus etc.. 

Health and safety executive (HSE) enforces the health and safety at work act 1974. The control of substances hazardous to health regulations 2002 (COSHH) require substances are adequately controlled. This includes biological agents which can lead to work related disease. Reporting of diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 1995 require employers to notify relevant enforcing authorities of specific work related infections due to biological agents- anthrax, brucellosis, ovine and avian chlamydiosis, hepatitis, legionellosis, lyme disease, q fever, rabies, streptococcus suis and tetanus. 

Zoonoses Report UK 2011

• Campylobacter- most commonly reported human pathogen.
• Cryptosporidium- petting farms, swimming pools and fresh water exposure.
• Salmonella- S.enteritidis mainly red meat and imported eggs.