Background: Foodbome disease is a major cause of illness in the UK imposing a significant burden on patients and the economy. It is estimated that around a million people suffer a foodbome illness in the UK annually, leading to 20.000 receiving hospital treatment and 500 deaths, at a cost of ￡1.5 billion. Local authorities prioritise food hygiene inspections on the basis of the level of risk associated with a particular type of premises e.g. a delicatessen handling cooked meat products will be inspected more frequently than a greengrocer. Sandwell MBC also targets inspections on areas that are considered to be problematic and we have shown that this has a highly significant impact on food hygiene scores. However these scores are based on the professional judgment of the Environmental Health Practitioner and therefore open to a degree of subjectivity. In addition, there is no scientifically objective validation of the impact of other food hygiene actions such as formal warnings or prosecutions.Methods: We are assessing the objective impact of food hygiene inspections and actions through the microbiological testing of surfaces, foods and food handling techniques before and after inspections/actions during February and March 2012. The results are being measured against accepted standards and comparisons will be made before and after inspection/action, and over a range of time intervals to assess whether any effect is mediated over time. Statistical analysis will assess whether inspections or other actions have a significant effect on microbiological standards.Results: Initial results have found significant improvements in microbiological standards following food hyigiene inspections.Discussion: The results will provide intelligence as to the impact of food hygiene actions and determine how local food hygiene enforcement agencies discharge their responsibilities.
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