Reorienting food safety inspections: a new model for regulatory practice

Purpose Food safety inspection is a key health protection measure applied by Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and protect public health. Three areas of limitation have been identified with current food safety inspection approaches, including comprehensiveness, coherence and bias. This paper presents a model – hereafter called the Barnes model – for food safety inspection that is targeted at addressing the limitations of current practice. This study evaluates whether the Barnes model can be effectively implemented into food safety regulatory practice. Design/methodology/approach Training materials were created and provided to EHPs to support them interpreting and implementing the Barnes model in field trials. Field observations and interviews were then conducted to evaluate the efficacy and practicability of utilizing the Barnes model and to identify barriers to implementation. Findings This pilot research found that EHPs were able to adopt the Barnes model into their practice, although implementation could be hampered by key barriers such as incompatible legislative frameworks, unsuited performance measurements for EHPs and lack of oversight from a governing body. Originality/value The findings from this study will inform the future of food safety regulatory practice by determining that the Barnes model can be adopted and implemented by EHPs into their regulatory practice, setting the necessary foundations for further research on the effectiveness of the Barnes model as a health protection measure.