Sampling

Officers from the Environment directorate undertake various routine sampling on a regular basis detailed in the directorate's Food Sampling Policy.

These activities are usually coordinated surveys as part of North West local authority co-ordinated programme. Samples of food or the environment (swabs) are submitted to the Health Protection Agency's laboratory for analysis to check the microbiological quality (and to ensure that there are no food poisoning germs in the food).

The outcome from all the sampling work undertaken between 1999 to the present day can be found using the list on the left of this page. These pages include detailed reports for the majority of the surveys completed.

Some of the samples are purchased from shops as a regular customer unknown to the proprietor and includes evening sampling. Recent surveys include cooked meat, sandwiches, poultry and takeaway meals.

On other occasions the officers from the Environment directorate will identify themselves to the premises in order to take the samples, obtain further details and check the storage conditions and temperatures.

Examples of these are environmental swabbing of surfaces, vanilla slices and cooked rice.

Environmental Agency Sampling

The Radioactive Substances Act 1993 provides for the public access to environmental information. The Environment Agency commissions independent radiological monitoring of food, indicator materials and dose rates, to ensure that any radioactivity in food does not compromise food safety.

The Environment Agency, the Environment and Heritage Service, the Food Standards Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and DEFRA via the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) publish the results for 1995 to 2009.

A copy of the latest report, Radioactivity in Food and the Environment, 2009 is available for viewing at the Food Standards Agency and CEFAS websites.