Food Standards Scotland issues Covid inspection advice for businesses

Food Standards Scotland believe the new guidance will help food operators prepare for potential Covid-19 investigations.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has continued to develop its COVID-19 guidance package for food businesses, which it says aims to support the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Framework for Decision Making (Scotland’s Route Map through and Out of the Crisis).

This has recently been updated with a new document that was developed in collaboration with Public Health Scotland. This intends to help food business operators prepare for investigations that will follow if a Covid outbreak is suspected.

Food Standards Scotland hopes the new guidance will help businesses to better understand such investigations and shed light on the actions that will need to be taken to prevent further spread of the virus into the workplace and

FSS hopes the new guidance will help businesses to better understand such investigations and shed light on the actions that will need to be taken to prevent further spread of the virus in the workplace and wider community.

Whilst it is impossible to put together a document which covers every possible Covid scenario, FSS believes this guidance will assist FBOs in preparing for the types of questions that are likely to arise during an investigation. It will also reveal the broad principles that inform decisions taken by the Incident Management Team (IMT), including whether a business should be closed or can remain open.

However, there was a warning issued by FSS too; it has told businesses that where they are “unable to provide sufficient evidence that they have effective COVID-19 measures in place, the IMT will inevitably have less confidence in the business and will require stronger action to be taken to protect public health.”

But help has been promised, with FSS reassuring businesses that “every effort will be made by the IMT to support the FBO in identifying where changes or improvements need to be made in order to minimise the risks of any further incidents.”

The FSS added: “The re-opening of a premises is a decision for the IMT, together with the appropriate regulatory body.”

The new investigation document is part of a package of guidance issued by Food Standards Scotland, all of which is available to view on the authority’s website.