Local Authority Audit: Summary report – findings and analysis

This review draws together evidence from Local Authority (LA) audit activity undertaken by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) between 2019 and 2026 and findings arising from recent DG SANTE audits of export control systems. The evidence demonstrates that many individual findings are symptoms of a relatively small number of recurring systemic causes which affect both the delivery of official controls by Local Authorities and the effectiveness of national oversight arrangements.

Across both evidence sources, there is remarkable consistency in the nature of the issues identified. The recurring themes include:

• Insufficient workforce capacity, capability and competencies
• Increasing complexity and resource demands within the official control system.
• Variability in delivery and quality of official controls, and enforcement decisions.
• Weaknesses in performance intelligence, data quality and oversight.
• Inconsistencies in training, competency assurance and continuous professional development.
• Fragmented information sharing and assurance arrangements.
• Limitations within the current governance model for securing nationally consistent delivery.

The evidence suggests that while Local Authorities generally remain committed to delivering food law enforcement and official controls, the current delivery model is increasingly challenged in meeting the requirements of the effective, risk-based, evidence-led official control systems envisaged by Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

Importantly, many of the issues identified cannot be attributed solely to individual Local Authorities. Rather, they reflect structural weaknesses of the wider Scottish food control system, including the relationship between national policy design, resource availability, local delivery arrangements and the oversight responsibilities of FSS under the Food (Scotland) Act 2015 and associated official controls framework.

The evidence therefore provides a strong rationale for the SAFER Programme to focus not only on operational delivery within Local Authorities but also on the future design of performance monitoring and standard setting, assurance, oversight, governance, data and workforce arrangements across the Scottish food regulatory system.

Under Regulation (EU) 2017/625, competent authorities must ensure official controls are:

• Risk-based.
• Effective.
• Appropriate in frequency.
• Consistently applied.
• Supported by adequately trained staff.
• Subject to verification and audit.
• Capable of providing reliable assurance regarding compliance.

The Food (Scotland) Act 2015 established Food Standards Scotland as Scotland’s national food body with statutory objectives that include protecting the public from risks to health arising from the consumption of food.

• Monitoring the performance of enforcement authorities and therefore providing assurance over the delivery of food law and official controls
• Developing guidance and setting standards.
• Promoting consistency across Scotland.

The Official Feed and Food Control Regulations 2009 also provide a legal basis for

• FSS assurance, oversight, and monitoring of local authorities
• Information-gathering activities in relation to local authority enforcement performance. 

The evidence gathered should be viewed through two interconnected lenses:

• The effectiveness of Local Authority delivery.
• The effectiveness of national oversight, monitoring and assurance provided by FSS.