An evaluation of the risk assessment method used by environmental health officers when inspecting food businesses

Two outbreaks of infection with Salmonella enteritidis phage types 5c and 6a occurred in a number of Scottish health board areas between May 2000 and January 2001. A case-control study of food businesses was subsequently carried out to ascertain whether the scores derived from Environmental Health Officers' inspections prior to the outbreaks differed between food businesses where outbreak cases had eaten in the week before the onset of their illness (case food businesses) and neighbouring food businesses at which no outbreak case had eaten (control food businesses). The study showed no significant difference between the scores of case and control food businesses. The results suggest that the inspections were ineffective in identifying those food businesses that are more likely to cause incidents of food poisoning.