Policy paper

Governance and assurance procedures for new and existing qualifications for competent authority food and feed officers

Published 4 August 2026

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

1. Scope

The procedures apply to the qualifications held by Competent Authority officers (local authorities and port health authorities in England and Wales, and district councils in Northern Ireland) who undertake official and non-official food and/or feed controls.

2. Background

The Official Control Regulations (EU) 2017/6251 (OCR) require Competent Authorities to have access to a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff, so that official controls and other official activities can be performed efficiently and effectively. 

2.1 Food Law Codes of Practice

There are separate but similar Food Law Codes of Practice (FLCoP) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, that provide statutory guidance which Competent Authorities should have regard. 

Chapter 3 of the FLCoP deals with the authorisation, qualifications and competency of officers undertaking official controls, other official activities and any other activities related to these. 

The ’suitable qualification’ requirement is defined as statutory guidance and a list of qualifications recognised as suitable for primary production (England and Wales), food hygiene and food standards is provided. 

The FLCoP and Food Law Practice Guidance (FLPG) enable other qualifications, additional training and experience which demonstrate officer competence to be recognised, if they are equivalent to the qualifications in the lists. 

2.2 Feed Law Code of Practice

The Feed Law Code of Practice (FeLCoP) in England and Wales requires Competent Authority officers involved in the assessment of compliance with feed law to hold an ‘appropriate qualification’.

The FeLCoP signposts Competent Authorities to the list of ‘appropriate qualifications’ in the Feed Law Practice Guidance (FeLPG).

3. Governance and assurance

These governance and assurance procedures introduce:  

• a procedure to recognise as suitable ‘new’ qualifications which are not included in the current lists
• the criteria that a qualification must meet, for it to be recognised as suitable by the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
• a qualification advisory group (QAG) formed of key stakeholders across the three countries, will be called upon to support the FSA to assess new qualifications or review existing qualifications as appropriate
• Members for the QAG will be selected on a case-by-case basis depending on the scope of the qualification under consideration (for example, food hygiene, food standards and/or feed), and which nation it may be applicable to now and in the future
• a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the FSA and accreditation/governing bodies, for new and existing qualifications recognised as suitable, to provide oversight of assurance reviews and any resulting actions

The responsibilities of the QAG are set out in appendix 1.

4. New qualifications: assessing suitability

4.1 Criteria for assessment

The FSA will consider new qualifications which meet the following criteria.

1. Knowledge and skills

Qualifications:

• meet the FSA Competency Standard in the technical areas of food and/or feed, which is based on the competency requirements as set out in OCR
• provide a route to become a food or feed officer or potential pathway to qualify as an Environmental Health or Trading Standards Officer

And are benchmarked against:

• Higher Certificate in Food Control (HCFC) for food hygiene
• CTSI Trading Standards Practitioner Certificate with the Food unit from the Trading Standards Practitioner Diploma (TSPC + TSPD Food Unit) for food standards 
• CTSI Trading Standards Practitioner Certificate with the Feed unit from the Trading Standards Practitioner Diploma (TSPC + TSPD Feed Unit) for feed 

2. Governance and assurance

Qualifications are subject to:

• satisfactory independent governance arrangements, by the awarding/governing body to ensure achievement of the qualification provides the expected knowledge and skills at the point of entry to practice
• satisfactory independent assurance, by the awarding/governing body involving external audits and internal review to evaluate the quality of programs, qualifications, and assessment practice
• continuous improvement through regular reviews that update qualifications and curricula to keep pace with changes in legislation, technology, industry practices and academic standards (to ensure qualifications remain relevant over time)

4.2 Assessment of a new qualification

Step 1: notify FSA

Upon being notified of a potential new qualification, the FSA will engage with the applicant at the earliest opportunity to discuss the above criteria.

The FSA will determine if the qualification has the potential to meet the requirements for the purpose of assessment. 

Step 2: apply

Where the qualification has the potential to meet the criteria, the applicant will be advised to complete an assessment of qualification application. 

The application proforma will ask the applicant to provide evidence of: 

1. Assurance and governance arrangements in place by the awarding/governing body. 
2. The knowledge and skills gained from the qualification. This will be through mapping the qualification syllabus, including all learning materials, to the FSA Competency Standard and then benchmarking the mapped qualification against the HCFC or TSPC + TSPD Food/Feed Unit.
3. The official and non-official food and/or feed controls that can be delivered, including the identification of any potential restrictions.
4. Whether the qualification is suitable for candidates across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Step 3: review

Upon being notified of a potential new qualification the internal FSA three nation working group will be convened with relevant representation from across the Nations. 

Once all appropriate documentation and evidence has been submitted, the FSA three nation working group will conduct a detailed review of the evidence. The group will aim to do this as soon as is reasonably practicable. 

Where required, FSA policy and subject matter experts will review the application and evidence provided. 

Step 4: consideration

Following the detailed review, FSA will decide one of the following options: 

• if sufficient evidence has been provided, FSA will engage with members of the QAG and seek their views
• if further supporting evidence is required to show alignment against the FSA Competency Standard, benchmarking against the HCFC or TSPC + TSPD Food/Feed Unit and/or satisfactory assurance arrangements, the FSA will request further supporting evidence from the applicant

If sufficient evidence is not provided within a 3-month period, the application will be returned. The FSA will provide an outline of deficiencies and further evidence required, should they wish to resubmit an application at a later date. 

Step 5: recommendation

Following consultation with the QAG, the FSA will do one of the following: 

• decide if the qualification is equivalent to the benchmark qualifications and whether it is appropriate to recommend it for inclusion in the relevant list during the next Code review
• request further supporting evidence to show alignment against the FSA Competency Standard, benchmarking against the HCFC or TSPC + TSPD Food/ Feed Unit and/or satisfactory assurance arrangements
• if sufficient supporting evidence is not provided within a 3-month period, the application will be returned. The FSA will provide an outline of deficiencies and further evidence required, should they wish to resubmit an application at a later date
• reject the qualification outlining the reasons for the decision

4.3 New qualification: recognition of suitability

Where the FSA recognises a new qualification as suitable, the FSA will: 

• notify the applicant in writing that the qualification has been recognised by the FSA
• recommend the qualification for inclusion in the relevant list of suitable qualifications during the next FLCoP and FeLPG review
• issue a ‘letter of comfort’ to Competent Authorities via FSA LINK to inform them of the decision regarding the new qualification, and notify LAs via Liaison Groups 

The ’letter of comfort’ to Competent Authorities will: 

• name the qualification  
• outline the qualification pathway (where one exists) 
• state any restrictions regarding the activities that a holder of the qualification will be able to undertake  
• explain that the qualification will be recommended for inclusion in the relevant list of qualifications within the FLCoPs and FeLPGs at the next appropriate opportunity, which will be subject to public consultation and ministerial approval in each of the Nations 

We may publish a news article on the FSA’s GOV.UK pages confirming the status of the qualification. It may include a statement from the qualification applicant where appropriate. The article will explain that the new qualification will be recommended for inclusion in the relevant FLCoPs/FeLPGs at the earliest opportunity (pending public consultation and ministerial approval).

4.4 New qualification: refusal

Where the FSA does not recognise a new qualification as suitable, the following actions will be taken: 

• the applicant will be notified in writing of the decision, outlining the reason(s) for the decision 
• the application will be returned to the applicant with an outline of deficiencies and options on how to re-apply

5. Existing qualifications: assessing suitability

The FSA requires oversight of the governance and assurance arrangements that are in place for qualifications which are currently included in the relevant lists of qualifications within the FLCoPs/ FeLPGs. 

To formalise this arrangement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be agreed with the relevant professional/governing bodies.  

The MOU between the FSA and each individual professional or governing body will agree: 

• scrutiny on the content of the qualification, to ensure it stays relevant and fit for purpose 
• standardisation and consistency of the qualification assessment 
• notifying the FSA, of the outcome of internal and external reviews 
• notifying the FSA where a course ceases to be offered 

The MOU will clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the FSA, the professional and governing bodies. It will set out the arrangements in place which as a minimum should include the following:

5.1 1. Annual self-assessment

Each qualification provider must complete and submit an annual self-assessment to the professional/governing body that: 

• advises of changes and new developments to the course content, which will include supporting documentation where necessary 
• advises of any changes to their internal review arrangements 
• provides student data, including enrolment and graduation numbers

5.2 2. External independent review

The professional/governing body must undertake a review based on their individual governance arrangements to include: 

• a review of the qualification content, to ensure it is up to date with relevant legislation and Competency Standard requirements 
• a review of the qualification governance arrangements, including how this is assessed and what processes are in place for ensuring standardisation and consistency of assessment 

The MOU will state that where there is material change to a course, or where a review identifies unsatisfactory arrangements which have failed to be actioned within a specified period, the FSA will be notified. The FSA will review the information provided and where necessary consult with the QAG. 

The QAG will be consulted to determine the ability of the qualification to continue to meet the required criteria. FSA will consider as part of the process any potential conflicts of interest.  

If the assessment finds that the qualification no longer meets the required criteria, the QAG will be asked to recommend a course of action to support the FSA in determining the most appropriate response.

6. Appendix 1 

6.1 Qualification advisory group 

The qualification advisory group (QAG) will be formed of FSA policy experts and key external stakeholders, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:  

• Food Standards Scotland  
• The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland 
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health  
• Chartered Trading Standards Institute  
• Association of Chief Environmental Health Officers  
• National Trading Standards 
• Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers  
• Directors of Public Protection Wales through Trading Standards Wales and Environmental Health Wales 
• Northern Ireland Food Managers Group 
• National Food Hygiene Focus Group (local authority representatives) 
• National Food Standards Focus Group (local authority representatives) 
• National Agricultural Panel 
• Education providers including relevant universities, colleges, and apprenticeship training providers 

The FSA three nations working group will engage with suitable stakeholders from the above list, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the scope of the qualification under consideration (for example, food hygiene, food standards and/or feed) and which nation it may be applicable to now and in the future. 

Responsibilities of the QAG 

The QAG responsibilities are: 

• review the qualification syllabus and the mapping of new qualifications against the FSA Competency Standard and benchmarking against the HCFC or TSPC + TSPD Food/Feed Unit 
• review the governance and assurance arrangements for the qualification 
• provide their opinion and recommendation on the suitability and equivalency status of the qualification 
• where a review of an existing qualification identifies unsatisfactory governance and assurance arrangements are in place, or qualification content has not kept up to date with relevant legislation and Competency Standard requirements, the panel will provide their opinion and recommendation to the FSA on the appropriate course of action 
• submit an annual declaration outlining any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest