FSA probes third-party assurance schemes
The evaluation – due for completion at the end of November - will identify what third party assurance schemes are out there, establish criteria for the 'acceptability' of such schemes and then measure them against this criteria.
Researchers will probe the schemes' approaches to determining risk, audit funding arrangements, actions taken in the event of non-compliance and the circumstances under which accreditation is revoked, a spokeswoman told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
"One aspect of this evaluation is to look at what information is coming out of third-party audits and how this might help local authority inspectors prioritise resources by identifying higher-risk businesses, for example."
She acknowledged that this would require sharing of information between third-party schemes and local authorities, adding. "How and whether this is needed is one thing that the evaluation might look at."
Currently there was a lot of duplication on the inspection front, with many food suppliers audited to assess compliance with assurance schemes, and then inspected again by local authorities, which in many cases were looking for exactly the same things, she added.
"It's not a case of saying assurance schemes should replace official inspections, but more a case of looking at how to prioritise resources."
The approach to the authorisation, qualification and training of auditors for food assurance schemes would also be explored, she said.
The probe is part of the FSA's Food Law Enforcement Research Programme, which is designed to identify the most effective tools to improve food standards and improve compliance with food law.
