The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published a summary of responses to the consultation on developing a modernised food hygiene delivery model in England.  

The consultation which ran between April and June this year, proposed the following developments: 

• a modernised food hygiene intervention rating scheme, including a decision matrix to determine the appropriate frequency of these controls based on the risk posed by a food business establishment. 
• an updated risk-based approach to the timescales (where not prescribed in legislation) for initial official controls of new food establishments, and 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 use of remote official controls.  
• extending the activities that officers, such as Regulatory Support Officers, who do not hold a ‘suitable qualification’ for food hygiene can, if competent, undertake. 

As well as a summary of responses, the FSA also provide comment to the feedback received for each proposal, including confirmation that the modernised food hygiene intervention rating scheme, the proposed food hygiene intervention scoring and planned official control frequencies (decision matrix approach) won’t be progressed.  

However, updating the risk-based approach to the timescales for initial official controls of new food establishments, and undertaking due official controls, will be taken forward. This includes triaging and prioritisation of new food businesses and due official controls and developing the FSA’s online ‘Register a Food Business’ (RAFB) system. Work will also be undertaken on the flexibility of the methods and techniques of official controls as well as on activities that officers who do not hold a ‘suitable qualification’ for food hygiene can undertake. 

You can read more detail here