Hi All Can anyone tell me what the minimum requirements would be for someone to be considered qualified to carry out audits of food production, manufacturing and retailing sites? Perhaps someone from an EHO background can help? Regards DHM

Hello As a minimum you would need to be registered by EHORB (Environmental Health Officers Registration Board). You can do this through obtaining an Environmental Health degree or the Higher certificate in food premises inspection. There is an ordinary certificate in food inspection but this would not include competencies in inspecting food production or manufacture. It would cover food retailers though. It's worth looking at the CIEH website.

Since when? Do you just mean for EHO's? Because most consultants don't have such registration. I was inspecting food premises for clients before any qualifications (I had a colleague who was ex-EHO give me a tutorial) and then I did a CIEH food mg't qualification. I don;t think I know it all but I know enough to advise on the basics, which is what most SME's need. SFBB (Safer Food Better Business) is an excellent overview of what is required by small businesses, which is a mg't system that meets the requirements of HACCP.

A good start would be to look at the CIEH website to note what you have to do inorder to be competent to inspect food inspections of food production / manufacture outlets. Most food inspections are either carried out by qualified EHO'S / Food Safety Officers in local goverenment at premises registered with their local authority. Although ex EHO's / food safety officers who act as food safety / health and safety consultants are also competent to inspect client food businesses also. I have a degree in environmental health but I would'nt call myself competent to inspect food businesses as I don't receive the necessary training to become an EHO / Food Safety Officer due to cutbacks in local government. I think you really need practical experience to be able to confidently inspect food businesses ( as part of the training of a trainee EHO in local government ). John

John if you are saying that only EHO's or ex-EHO's are competent to inspect food premises then I assume you are also saying that only HSE Inspectors or ex-HSE Inspectors are competent to inspect health and safety issues in premises??? In my expereince for some reason some EHO's think what they do is rocket science and it's not. You don't need to be an EHO or ex-EHO to give advice on food safety, just knowledge (and eventually experience).

Clairel I have to disagree with your last point. Any food safety consulants that I have came across were all ex EHO'S / Food Safety Officer's from local government. They became disillusioned with local government and went to the private sector to make better money. One other point, you mentioned that you need experience to carry out food inspections. Where do you think one gets this experience from ? In my opinion the only way to get the experience of inspecting food manufacturing premises is by completing an environmental health / food science degree at an accreditated univeristy in the uk, and then get practical experience from either local government or larger food businnesses ( Mc Donalds etc ) as an trainee. You would then be in a position to offer advise to food businesses confidently and with some assurance. John

I don't undertsand why you think that ex-EHO's leaving the Gov't for better money contradicts my last point? I was saying that ex-EHO's seem to think that food issues are far too complicated for anyone but ex-EHO's - a point I disagree with. Once again if we apply the same standard of what you have said to health and safety you are saying that any consultant in health and safety must have a degree in occupational health and safety and either be an ex HSE inspector or have worked for a large company. I disagree with that statement (and I do have a post grad in OHS and I am an ex-inspector!!). I don't think either things are absolutely required to make a competent consultant. Your attitude is the exact reason why I get fed up with 'foodies' who think that what they do is beyond the comprehension of non-foodies. It's not.