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

Veterinarians Experience Animal Welfare Control Work as Stressful

The aim of the study was to evaluate the job satisfaction of official veterinarians working in the field of animal welfare control and identify both positive features and challenges of their work. An electronic questionnaire was designed to evaluate job satisfaction. The questionnaire was responded to by 73 of the 98 Finnish official veterinarians working in the field of animal welfare control. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relation between stress and different work-related factors. More than half of the respondents reported work-related stress or fatigue. Threatening situations, disturbed work–private life balance and a high amount of overtime work were found to be frequent underlying causes of stress. Fieldwork, especially when working alone, was perceived as the most challenging part of the work. Of the respondents, three out of four performed animal welfare inspections mainly alone. Although the respondents reported getting additional help to perform an inspection most of the times they needed it, a wish to work in a pair was highlighted. The results of the present study indicate that official veterinarians often experience work-related stress and fatigue. By testing interventions shown to be beneficial, such as providing adequate support within the work community, decreasing the workload and enabling inspections to be done in pairs, job satisfaction could be improved.Peer reviewe

Assessment of Welfare Problems in Finnish Cattle and Pig Farms Based on Official Inspection Reports

The competent authorities of the Member States of the European Union are required to perform animal welfare inspections on livestock farms. The data obtained from these official inspections performed in Finnish cattle and pig farms in 2010–2015 were used with the aim of estimating the prevalence of the most common non-compliances and identifying underlying risk factors. The prevalence of non-compliant cattle and pig farms was 24.2% and 27.9%, respectively. In cattle, the most common problem was an inadequate lying area followed by deficient housing conditions for calves; in pigs, it was a lack of enrichment material. The non-compliances concerning cattle were most frequently detected in autumn and in farms with small herd size, with tie-stall housing and outdoor rearing year-round. The pig farms with a farrow-to-finish unit had a higher prevalence of non-compliances than other production types. The prevalence of the non-compliant farms differed notably between the regions. It can be concluded that the cattle welfare inspections should be performed with a focus on the cold and rainy seasons and at small farms, whereas the pig welfare inspections should mainly focus on farrow-to-finish units. The data received from official inspections should be efficiently utilized in the development of animal welfare inspection system, with the aim of risk-based, consistent and uniform inspections. In addition, the data should be utilized in targeting information for farmers

Evaluation of criminal sanctions concerning violations of cattle and pig welfare

EU legislation requires the violations of animal welfare standards to be sanctioned. Our aim was to evaluate criminal sanctions concerning violations of cattle and pig welfare on Finnish farms. We analysed 196 court cases heard in Finnish district courts from 2011 to 2016. Almost all the cases (95%) concerned the violations of cattle welfare, of which 61% occurred on small farms. The lack of cleanliness and inadequate feeding and watering were the most common reported violations. The median time span from the known start date of the crime to the judgement was nearly two years. Of the cases, 96% resulted in conviction. The court did not perceive the violations as being highly blameworthy as a small fine and a short conditional imprisonment were the most often imposed sanctions. A ban on the keeping of animals was used as a precautionary measure in half of the cases. Veterinarians were shown to have an important role in the initiation of criminal procedures, providing evidence for the police and acting as witnesses. Therefore, it is crucial to achieve a well-functioning collaboration between veterinarians and the police and prosecutors. The expertise of these authorities on animal welfare legislation should also be emphasized to improve the efficacy of the criminal procedures.Peer reviewe

Characterization of materials and components using accurate spectrophotometric measurements and mathematical modeling

This thesis considers metrological application of spectrophotometric measurements in characterization of optical thin-film coatings, diffuse reflectance standards, and filter-radiometer components. For the optical metrology of thin films, various systematic errors in the measurements were studied in order to understand their effect on the determined optical parameters of thin films. The analysis was done based on computer simulations. Experimental results for several coated samples are also presented. The results demonstrate the importance of accurate spectrophotometric measurements for reliable characterization of thin films. It is shown that when the characterization is done based on measurements at oblique angles of incidence, significant errors may be introduced due to certain systematic effects. Thus the use of ordinary commercial spectrophotometers may restrict the accuracy of the characterization. The experimental data obtained with the high-accuracy spectrophotometer at HUT demonstrates consistency among the derived thin-film parameters at both normal and oblique angles of incidence. For the calibration of diffuse reflectance standards, a gonioreflectometer-based absolute scale of spectral diffuse reflectance has been established at HUT and is presented in the thesis. The newly established absolute scale of spectral diffuse reflectance is at the present moment the second in the world, where the hemispherical reflectance factors are derived without the use of integrating spheres. The gonioreflectometer setup, measurement and characterization procedures, as well as uncertainty analysis and results of test measurements are summarized in the thesis. For the characterization of filter radiometers (FRs), which is needed for the realization of the primary spectral irradiance scale at HUT, the thesis includes a comprehensive overview of the developed measurement methods, modeling and rigorous uncertainty-analysis procedures. An intercomparison of the characterization techniques in the UV spectral region adopted at HUT and at several other National Metrology Institutes is also presented. For the first time, effects of correlations in the FR signals originating through the characterization of the FRs were studied. This has led to a method of optimizing the selection of FR wavelengths and a practical range of uncertainties in the case of correlations in input parameters.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

Developing official control in slaughterhouses through internal audits

In the European Union, competent authorities are obligated to arrange audits to ensure that the official control (comprising meat and food safety inspections) in slaughterhouses is performed according to legislation. Previous information on the functionality of these audits and on non-conformities observed in the official control of slaughterhouses is limited. In this study, non-conformities of the official control of slaughterhouses and their correction were analysed from the internal audit reports of the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira. To further assess the benefits and needs for improvement of the audits, we conducted interviews with the chief official veterinarians (OVs) responsible for the controls in slaughterhouses and the auditors of Evira. According to our results, non-conformities, especially in the inspection of intestines of bovines and swine, were common. Regarding food safety inspections, OVs should develop their documentation, perform the follow-up of the correction of non-compliances more systematically, and improve the enforcement, especially in smaller red meat slaughterhouses. Based on our results, internal audits appeared to be beneficial, as non-conformities in the official control were noticed, most non-conformities were corrected or corrective measures had been taken, and the audits were assessed as necessary by both the auditors and auditees. Our results can be utilized in improving the official control and audit procedures in slaughterhouses. In the future, the uniformity of meat inspection could be improved by auditing also differences in the rejections and their reasons between official auxiliaries in post-mortem inspection.Peer reviewe

The Presence of Norovirus and Adenovirus on Environmental Surfaces in Relation to the Hygienic Level in Food Service Operations Associated with a Suspected Gastroenteritis Outbreak

Erratum: Food and environmental virology 9 (2017):3, pp. 358-359 DOI.10.1007/s12560-017-9304-6Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks appear frequently in food service operations (FSOs), such as in restaurants and canteens. In this study the presence of NoV and adenovirus (AdV) genomes was investigated on the surfaces of premises, especially in kitchens, of 30 FSOs where foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks were suspected. The objective was to establish a possible association between the presence of virus genomes on surfaces and a visual hygienic status of the FSOs. NoV genome was found in 11 and AdV genome in 8 out of 30 FSOs. In total, 291 swabs were taken, of which 8.9% contained NoV and 5.8% AdV genome. The presence of NoV genomes on the surfaces was not found to associate with lower hygiene level of the premises when based on visual inspection; most (7/9) of the FSOs with NoV contamination on surfaces and a completed evaluation form had a good hygiene level (the best category). Restaurants had a significantly lower proportion of NoV-positive swabs compared to other FSOs (canteens, cafeteria, schools etc.) taken together (p = 0.00014). The presence of a designated break room for the workers was found to be significantly more common in AdV-negative kitchens (p = 0.046). Our findings suggest that swabbing is necessary for revealing viral contamination of surfaces and emphasis of hygiene inspections should be on the food handling procedures, and the education of food workers on virus transmission.Peer reviewe

Significance of official food control in food safety : food business operators' perceptions

Finnish food business operators' (FBOs) opinions of the food control inspections performed by local authorities were evaluated, using a questionnaire. The production types of FBOs included were slaughterhouses, meat, fish and milk plants, egg-packing plants and storage facilities dealing with foods of animal origin. Based on a total of 459 responses, we noted that the impacts of official controls were considered valuable for food safety, since 78.8% of the respondents saw that the actions taken based on inspections had enhanced the safety of the products. The results also highlighted the importance of inspectors being familiar with the production processes to increase the efficacy of food control. More frequent visits by official inspectors correlated positively with FBOs' conceptions of noncompliances being relevant for food safety. The FBOs saw local inspectors as the most important sources of new information concerning food safety legislation and 89.1% of the respondents confirmed that discussions with local inspectors had helped them understand the food safety risks within their processes. We also noted that the bigger the FBO, the more clearly they seem to perceive the risks associated with their processes (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r = 0.127, P = 0.009)