A minister has said that a food hygiene inspection scheme will be partly outsourced due to “significant pressure” on existing resources.
Clare Barber, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, told Keys that there are currently 1,800 registered food businesses on the island, ranging from hospitals to home bakers.
“Undertaking the required volume of inspections within the anticipated timeframe would place significant pressure on existing environmental health resources,” Mrs Barber said.
The department has issued a tender seeking external organisations to provide qualified environmental health professionals to undertake inspections in line with the Food Standards Agency code of practice.
Mrs Barber confirmed that 13 people work within the department’s environmental health team. Of those, seven qualified environmental health officers and one food safety adviser can carry out inspections.
However, she noted that these officers have other duties including “management of infectious disease outbreaks, health and safety enforcement in workplaces, water quality monitoring, regulation of licensed activities such as tattooing and tanning, and also export certification”.
The initial phase will focus on cafes, restaurants, takeaways and bars serving food. The minister said the move aims to create a “level playing field” by ensuring all businesses are inspected within a fixed period.
Mrs Barber added the outsourcing will be funded from the department’s existing budget. She said enforcement through the courts is “our last resort”.