Incidence and characteristics of food-related criminal cases in Finland

Food fraud is an increasingly acknowledged problem that can cause unfair competition in the market, contribute to the grey economy, cause financial losses and threaten the health of consumers. Even so, little research exists on food-related criminal cases. The aim of this study was to characterize Finnish food-related criminal cases in order to improve understanding of the prevention of food-related crime. We investigated 127 cases resolved by the police, prosecutors, or district courts under the titles of food offence, health offence or marketing offence from 2008 to 2019. The analysis revealed that the incidence of cases was low and varied regionally, which may be due to varying abilities to detect cases and differences in reporting them to the police. The most common non compliances in the cases we analysed were unapproved or unregistered premises or activities (43.3%), false or misleading information provided on food products (39.4%), and insufficient or incorrect, false or misleading documents (31.5%). Safety hazards were associated with 45.7% of cases, while 2.4% involved verifiable instances of illness, which demonstrates that preventing food crime is important for consumer safety. The majority of cases (51.2%) were detected during food control inspections, highlighting the importance of performing inspections on-site. In addition, tip-offs to food control authorities about possible food-related crime (29.1% of cases) were an important mode of detection and could possibly be even more important if Finland were to have a centralized anonymous whistleblowing system. In total, 59.8% of cases led to a conviction or a sanction, and the most common type of punishment was a fine. Nevertheless, the fines tended to be rather low, and the proceeds of crime were recovered in only a few cases. More training for food control inspectors on the detection of food related crime, harmonized reporting practices, and increased legal praxis throughout the country could improve the detection and prevention of food crime in the future.Peer reviewe

Factors affecting effectiveness of food control inspections in food production establishments in Finland

Inspections are an important tool for food control. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how inspection history, interval between inspections, and pre-announcement of the inspection affect compliance with food safety legislation in food production establishments. We used register-based meat, fish, and dairy establishment food control inspection data (5550 inspections from 757 establishments) from Finland in 2016-2019 to study compliance in relation to these factors. Hypothesis was that there is an association between inspection grades and (1) inspection history, (2) interval, and (3) pre-announcement. Results indicate that minor non-compliances that do not impair food safety often precede future more severe non-compliances (5.3% non-compliance rate if full compliance at previous inspection compared to 16.8% non-compliance rate if minor non-compliances at previous inspection [Fisher's exact test, p < 0.0001]), and that longer inspection intervals are associated with a decrease in inspection grades (5.9% difference in inspection intervals for inspection with full compliance compared to inspections with severe non-compliances [Generalized estimating equations, p = 0.02]). In addition, pre-announcement of the inspection affects the inspection grades, severe non-compliances were 2.4 times more common at unannounced inspections compared to pre-announced inspections. To conclude, there is an association between inspection grades and inspection history, inspection interval, and inspection announcement.Peer reviewe

Challenges in using administrative enforcement measures in local food control

We surveyed Finnish local food control officials' opinions about the use and challenges of administrative enforcement measures. Responses to the questionnaire were received from a total of 129 food control officials, covering 72.6% of the 62 local food control units in Finland. In the opinion of 42.7% of the respondents, enforcement measures are not used often enough in their unit to ensure forod safety. Based on our results, large units have better practical tools such as templates for enforcement decisions and guidelines that facilitate the use of enforcement measures than small units, but uncertain practices and a lack of routine appear to impede the use of the measures in many units. Particular challenges highlighted by the officials were related to laboriousness and slowness of the administrative process and reasoning for using enforcement measures. Moreover, impairment of cooperation with the food business operator as a consequence of using enforcement measures was of concern for many officials. The officials assessed the expertise of the head of the unit more positively in the units in which enforcement measures were used than in the units in which enforcement measures were not used, and participation in trainings was the strongest explanatory factor for the use of enforcement measures among the inspectors. Our results indicate that development of operating procedures and provision of specific training on administrative procedure with a practical approach play a key role in strengthening officials' expertise and confidence in using enforcement measures. Moreover, merging the small units with the large ones may promote uniform practices and better capabilities to use enforcement measures in all units. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

The relevance of the Finnish hygiene passport test

The Finnish Hygiene Passport System, a national legislative requirement, has been used to test the food safety knowledge of food handlers for almost 20 years, resulting in over one million approved hygiene passports. However, information on the relevance of the Hygiene Passport System is virtually nonexistent. In order to evaluate the relevance of the official hygiene passport test, we collected a sample of original official hygiene passport tests from test examiners. We also arranged a simulated hygiene passport test for volunteers without any professional background in the food sector to investigate whether the basic level of hygiene knowledge of Finns is sufficient to pass the test. Our study revealed that more than 80% of the participants in the official hygiene passport test passed. However, participants completing the test in a foreign language or with assistance had significantly more difficulties in passing the test. The results for the simulated test suggested that the food safety knowledge of most Finns would have enabled them to pass the official test without prior training, especially those older than 20 and with a higher educational level. The simulated test also revealed that preparation prior to the test, i.e. study or training, was effective in increasing the food safety knowledge of participants, especially when their knowledge level was initially low, as among young participants. Moreover, significant variation in the difficulty of the test itself was observed, which may affect the pass rate. The current study supports the relevance of the hygiene passport test, showing that without the national requirement for the hygiene passport test, the level of food hygiene knowledge of new employees in the food sector, especially young people aged under 20, would be lower. However, our results suggest that the relevance of the hygiene passport test should be improved by validation of the test and by using official translations when conducting the test in a foreign language. Digitalization of the test would enable the regular evaluation of the test based on accurate data collection.Peer reviewe

Consistency and risk-basis of using administrative enforcement measures in local food control

Consistency and risk-basis are core elements of effective enforcement of food safety legislation. In Finland, inspections of food retail premises have been conducted since 2013 based on new national guidelines for evaluation and grading. According to the guidelines, food control authorities should initiate an administrative enforcement process to ensure compliance if the food business operator (FBO) is given the poorest grade in the inspection. In this study, we examined the consistency within and between local food control units on the threshold of initiating an enforcement process. The study was conducted through an analysis of inspection reports of FBOs and by an electronic survey and interviews of local food control officials. The results reveal that most officials consider the national evaluation guidelines as helpful in improving the consistency of using enforcement measures. However, inconsistencies exist between and within the local food control units in the alignments of initiating an enforcement process. Enforcement measures are mainly used on a risk-basis and gradually, as in most enforcement cases the FBO had multiple non-compliances and the FBO had been given a prior request to correct the non-compliance before initiating an enforcement process. The results, however, revealed rather weak compliance and repeated violations among some FBOs. Based on the observed persistence of non -compliances and the efficacy of enforcement measures in inducing compliance, a lower threshold of initiating an enforcement process towards FBOs with repeated violations appears beneficial in enhancing the correction of violations. Increasing the consistency of the enforcement process begins with unifying the practices within the local food control units by establishing clear procedures for enforcement and ensuring adequate orientation of personnel. Further strengthening of cooperation, peer-review and discussion on interpretations of required control actions between the units is needed for nationally consistent implementation of the evaluation and disclosure system and use of enforcement measures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Processing plant and machinery sanitation and hygiene practices associate with Listeria monocytogenes occurrence in ready-to-eat fish products

Listeria monocytogenes causes the foodborne illness listeriosis, which exhibits high fatality among people in risk groups. The incidence of listeriosis has increased in Europe, which raises concerns about L. monocytogenes occurrence in foodstuffs. Ready-to-eat seafood products are considered particularly risky vehicles. Poor hygiene at processing facilities predisposes them to L. monocytogenes contamination, which can be controlled by stringent self-checking system measures. We examined the association of fish-processing plant operational and hygiene practices with the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in vacuum-packaged gravad (cold-salted) and cold-smoked salmon and rainbow trout products. Product sampling of 21 fish-processing plants was carried out, and operational procedures relating to L. monocytogenes control were surveyed using an in-depth risk assessment questionnaire. L. monocytogenes occurred only in sliced and mainly in gravad products of seven fish-processing plants. Shortages in preventive measures were discovered predominantly among the L. monocytogenes positive fish-processing plants. Using generalized linear modeling, we identified the following features associated with L. monocytogenes product contamination: the number of processing machines, deficiencies in the processing environment and machinery sanitation, and staff movement from areas of low toward high hygiene. Furthermore, performing frequent periodic thorough sanitation alongside everyday sanitation practices associated with a decreased risk of product contamination.Peer reviewe

INNUENDO: A cross-sectoral platform for the integration of genomics in the surveillance of food-borne pathogens

Abstract In response to the EFSA call New approaches in identifying and characterizing microbial and chemical hazards, the project INNUENDO (https://sites.google.com/site/theinnuendoproject/) aimed to design an analytical platform and standard procedures for the use of whole-genome sequencing in surveillance and outbreak investigation of food-borne pathogens. The project firstly attempted to identify existing flaws and needs, and then to provide applicable cross-sectorial solutions. The project focused in developing a platform for small countries with limited economical and personnel resources. To achieve these goals, we applied a user-centered design strategy involving the end-users, such as microbiologists in public health and veterinary authorities, in every step of the design, development and implementation phases. As a result, we delivered the INNUENDO Platform V1.0 (https://innuendo.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), a stand-alone, portable, open-source, end-to-end system for the management, analysis, and sharing of bacterial genomic data. The platform uses Nextflow workflow manager to assemble analytical software modules in species-specific protocols that can be run using a user-friendly interface. The reproducibility of the process is ensured by using Docker containers and throught the annotation of the whole process using an ontology. Several modules, available at https://github.com/TheInnuendoProject, have been developed including: genome assembly and species confirmation; fast genome clustering; in silico typing; standardized species-specific phylogenetic frameworks for Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli based on an innovative gene-by-gene methodology; quality control measures from raw reads to allele calling; reporting system; a built-in communication protocols and a strain classification system enabling smooth communication during outbreak investigation. As proof-of-concepts, the proposed solutions have been thoroughly tested in simulated outbreak conditions by several public health and veterinary agencies across Europe. The results have been widely disseminated through several channels (web-sites, scientific publications, organization of workshops). The INNUENDO Platform V1.0 is effectively one of the models for the usage of open-source software in genomic epidemiology.Peer reviewe

Efficacy of disclosed food safety inspections in restaurants

Noncompliances that decrease food safety are commonly detected in food safety inspections at restaurants, and challenges in correcting the noncompliances have been reported. Disclosure of inspection results has been used as a tool to decrease the rate of noncompliances by increasing motivation to attain and maintain compliance with regulations. However, the efficacy of disclosed inspection results is not well understood. In addition, preannouncement of the inspection and inspection interval may have an impact on the efficacy of inspections. In this longitudinal retrospective study based on disclosed restaurant inspections in Finland from the years 2017-2018, we examined the stability of compliance, correction of noncompliances at the item level, association of preannouncement with item-specific grades and association of inspection interval with compliance. The results show that compliance (inspection result Excellent) was maintained between two consecutive inspections in 60.5% of the restaurants. The inspection result To be corrected (C) improved in 72.3% and Poor (D) in 33.3% of the restaurants to an Excellent (A) or Good (B) result. Still, some noncompliances in items crucial to food safety were not corrected. This demonstrates that disclosure alone is not sufficient; other measures are also needed in food control. The inspection interval did not reveal any significant association with the stability of compliance. The proportions of C and D grades were at minimum twofold in unannounced compared to preannounced inspections in most inspected items. Unannounced inspections are therefore necessary to receive an accurate impression of the inspected items on the premises.Peer reviewe

Editorial : Conflicts and Compromises Between Food Safety Policies and Environmental Sustainability

Non peer reviewe

The perceived openness to interpretation of food inspection grading associates with disagreements between inspectors and food business operators

In many countries, food safety inspection disclosure systems have been implemented in order to improve food control. However, criticism has also been levelled at these systems, especially regarding grading. Moreover, only a few studies have focused on inspectors, despite the fact that they are responsible, in practice, for applying the disclosure system and grading. To investigate inspectors' perceptions of disclosure, disagreements experienced with food business operators (FBOs) over grading and the factors possibly related to such disagreements, we conducted a questionnaire-based study with Finnish inspectors in 2017. We received 148 answers from 52 out of 62 Finnish local food control units. Most inspectors (90.8%, N = 131) considered that Oiva, the disclosure system introduced in 2013, was at least a somewhat positive change, and almost all inspectors (95.1%, N = 143) considered that disclosure enhanced, at least to some degree, the correction of non-compliances. In general, inspectors had experienced a small number of disagreements over grading with FBOs, but, in relation to some topics, over 20% of inspectors had encountered a high number of disagreements. In our multiple linear regression model, disagreements over grading were associated with the perceived openness to interpretation of grading (B = 0.37, p < 0.001) and differences experienced in risk perception between inspectors and FBOs (B = 0.12, p = 0.001). Most inspectors (67.4%; N = 144) preferred the grading guidelines to contain a small amount of openness to interpretation. Inspectors supported disclosure and considered that the Oiva system had improved food control. However, especially related to grading topics where inspectors perceived the greatest degree of openness to interpretation and the largest number of disagreements over grading with FBOs, inspectors should be further trained and supported. In addition, this study highlights the need for improved consistency in grading especially between the food control units.Peer reviewe