Challenges for the enforcement of food safety in Britain

The goal of absolute food safety is impossible to achieve, for there is virtually no component of our food supply that is without risk to some part of the population. However the majority of illnesses caused by food can be controlled and enforcement officers have a role to play in this. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to consider the challenges that are presented to British Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in their goal of assisting food businesses to achieve safe food. Whilst countries have differing system of food safety enforcement, many of the challenges presented in this paper are similar. The main conclusions are that whilst trends in foodborne illness continue to rise, it is imperative that food safety enforcement is altered to incorporate hazard analysis. Enforcement officers need to communicate effectively with food businesses, in particular small and medium sized outlets (SMEs), who are reliant on their advice. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.