VN N% ! % PRACTICE
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INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Examining Food Safety Inspections: Do They Meet the Grade to Protect Public Health?
Jason Barnes College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University James Smith, DrPH College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Harriet Whiley, PhD College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Kirstin Ross, PhD College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University nant—that influence if foodborne illness will ensue following consumption (National Research Council, 1973; Oyarzabal & Back- ert, 2012; Peariso, 2006; Reilly, 2002). Foods can become contaminated at any point in the food production chain (IAFP, 2011). Chemical and microbiological hazards asso- ciated with food are well documented and largely form the focus of food safety interven- tion programs (Marriott et al., 2018). Physi- cal hazards have also received consideration, particularly in aspects of food production that present an elevated risk of physical contami- nants entering the production chain (Peariso, 2006). In addition to the three traditional pillars of foodborne hazards—microbiologi- cal, chemical, and physical—there has been a rapid emergence of food allergens and intoler- ances (Marriott et al., 2018). Although these broad categories of foodborne hazards com- prise countless pathogenic agents with various mechanisms of pathogenesis, contamination of food remains a central concept to them all. The three contamination qualifiers oer a guide to how contamination can be controlled and subsequently the likelihood of foodborne illness reduced. The control of food contami- nation is central to food safety (Marriott et al., 2018), and given that disease-causing agents are found within the food production envi- ronment and food products, foodborne illness can be prevented through the implementation of the necessary control procedures. Food safety inspection is a common health protection measure applied to prevent food- borne illness (Martinović et al., 2022) and
b:;r*,; Globally, foodborne illness is a significant public health challenge. Food safety inspection plays a crucial role in the regulation of food businesses to prevent foodborne illnesses. To be an eective health protection measure, however, food safety inspections must facilitate the thorough evaluation of food safety risks. Our research examined how food safety inspectors from Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. assessed food contamination control during food premise inspections. Data were collected via an online survey of environmental health practitioners who routinely conduct food safety inspections. The findings indicated that inspectors are generally aware of food safety hazards that can be present at food businesses and have deployed a variety of relevant data-gathering methods to inform their examination of the extent of contamination control. The findings also indicated a prevailing methodological incongruence stemming from the absence of a robust inspection methodology. We propose that these shortcomings be addressed by solutions that are formulated based on established hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) principles and qualitative field research. The development of a clear and appropriate methodology will support food safety inspections to provide a robust and reliable means for evaluating food safety risk and ultimately reduce the incidence and burden of foodborne illness. Keywords: food safety, inspection, health protection, environmental health, practice, regulation
Introduction Acute foodborne illness results when food consumed is contaminated by disease- causing agents (International Association for Food Protection [IAFP], 2011). In most
instances, the mere presence of a contami- nant is not sucient for a food to present a threat to health. Thus, contamination is subject to three key qualifiers—condition, concentration, and viability of the contami-
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Volume 86 • Number 9
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