Audit of official controls in food business operations catering for high-risk population groups supervised bu environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive

Abstract

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has completed an audit of the food safety controls performed by the environmental health service (EHS) of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in hospitals and crèches1. The audit was undertaken as part of the planned programme of audits, carried out by the FSAI in 2012 to determine the level of compliance with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 (Official Controls) and the service contract in place between the HSE and the FSAI. The project included an audit in four EHS areas - one in each of the four environmental health regions. The first part of the audit involved an audit of paperwork associated with official controls, including the establishment’s files and inspection reports. The second part involved audits of two food business operations (one crèche producing meals onsite and one hospital) in each area. The audit results were largely positive and the controls in place were generally effective