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Publicly accessible food safety inspection reports are a standard procedure to inform consumers on restaurants' food safety levels in many countries. This study examined how different formats of food safety inspection report are associated with consumer perceptions related to food safety, as well as other perceptions about the restaurant. The study was conducted in Denmark and Finland with similar inspection grade systems but differences in the distribution of awarded grades. We conducted a population-based survey experiment with a between-subjects design on nationally representative samples of the 18-70 years old Danish (n = 978) and Finnish (n = 907) populations. Respondents received one of six food safety inspection reports with different combinations of inspection grade with a smiley and/or text. According to the results, both Danish and Finnish consumers' food safety perceptions of the same grade were more positive when the report included a smiley, and more negative when the report included a text. Finnish respondents perceived a good food safety inspection grade more positively than Danish respondents but there were no country differences when the grade was poor. In addition, food safety inspection results elicited perceptions that were not related to food safety in both countries. The results suggest that if the grade is poor, the inclusion of text is effective in eliciting perceptions of increased food safety risk. If the grade is good, a standalone smiley may be most effective in eliciting positive perceptions of a high food safety level. Moreover, these results indicate the importance of carefully evaluating how to develop public accessible inspection grades to ensure they are correctly interpreted by consumers in different countries.

We studied regional food control inspection grades and their relation to regional incidence of domestically acquired foodborne diseases (caused by Campylobacter spp. Salmonella spp. enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), and Listeria monocytogenes) using food control inspection data of local food business operators and infectious disease data from 2014 to 2019 from Finland. We observed that inferior overall inspection grades were associated with increased incidence of Salmonella infections (p=0.02). Specifically, inferior grades on cleanliness of facilities, surfaces, and equipment were associated with increased incidence of Salmonella infections (p=0.04). For this topical inspection area, a high effect size was also seen for Campylobacter infections (p=0.06). Of the individual inspection items, an association between increased incidence of Campylobacter infections and inferior grades on storage of foodstuffs (p=0.01) and verification of hygiene proficiency (p=0.03) was observed. These results suggest that food control recognizes non-compliances that may predispose to foodborne diseases.

Funding Information: The authors wish to acknowledge the Finnish Food Authority, which provided the inspection data for this research. This work was supported by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (grant number 1821/03.01.01/2018 ). Funding Information: The authors wish to acknowledge the Finnish Food Authority, which provided the inspection data for this research. This work was supported by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (grant number 1821/03.01.01/2018). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s) Certified food safety management systems (FSMSs), such as ISO 22000 and BRC, along with official food control, focus on food safety. European Union regulation 2017/625 requires to take FSMSs and their audits into account in official food control. To assess the possibility to decrease official food control frequency due to certified FSMSs the association of certified FSMSs on food business operators' (FBO) compliance was examined. The results of 1484 official inspections of 110 Finnish food establishments representing slaughterhouses, other meat establishments, fish and milk establishments, and bakeries with (n = 59) and without (n = 51) certified FSMS were studied over the period of 2016–2018. Altogether, 14 356 scores were given to 87 different items during the inspections. The comparison of scores between food establishments with and without certified FSMS discovered minor differences: 98.3% and 98.0% of inspected items in food establishments with and without a certified FSMS, respectively, did not impair food safety. The association between certified FSMSs and food establishments’ compliance was inconsistent in different establishment types and among inspected items. Therefore, the results do not support a decrease in the frequency of official food control inspections merely based on the existence of a certified FSMS. Instead, the results advocate for an individual assessment of the FBO's inspection frequency, based on the history of compliance.

Food fraud is an increasingly acknowledged problem that can cause unfair competition in the market, contribute to the grey economy, cause financial losses and threaten the health of consumers. Even so, little research exists on food-related criminal cases. The aim of this study was to characterize Finnish food-related criminal cases in order to improve understanding of the prevention of food-related crime. We investigated 127 cases resolved by the police, prosecutors, or district courts under the titles of food offence, health offence or marketing offence from 2008 to 2019. The analysis revealed that the incidence of cases was low and varied regionally, which may be due to varying abilities to detect cases and differences in reporting them to the police. The most common non compliances in the cases we analysed were unapproved or unregistered premises or activities (43.3%), false or misleading information provided on food products (39.4%), and insufficient or incorrect, false or misleading documents (31.5%). Safety hazards were associated with 45.7% of cases, while 2.4% involved verifiable instances of illness, which demonstrates that preventing food crime is important for consumer safety. The majority of cases (51.2%) were detected during food control inspections, highlighting the importance of performing inspections on-site. In addition, tip-offs to food control authorities about possible food-related crime (29.1% of cases) were an important mode of detection and could possibly be even more important if Finland were to have a centralized anonymous whistleblowing system. In total, 59.8% of cases led to a conviction or a sanction, and the most common type of punishment was a fine. Nevertheless, the fines tended to be rather low, and the proceeds of crime were recovered in only a few cases. More training for food control inspectors on the detection of food related crime, harmonized reporting practices, and increased legal praxis throughout the country could improve the detection and prevention of food crime in the future.

Official food control is intended to ensure food safety in the food business. In Finland, inspections of food service are performed using a 4-point risk-based grading system. This study compared routine inspection results of outbreak and nonoutbreak establishments in restaurants and institutional catering to investigate whether certain inspection results were associated with the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks. Also a more specific sample of outbreak establishments was defined using strength of evidence registered for each outbreak. Grade distributions of specific inspected items were compared separately. No significant differences were seen in restaurants but in institutional catering significantly poorer inspection results (p 0.05) were detected in items concerning the order and cleanliness of facilities, surfaces and equipment in outbreak establishments. Effective correction of noncompliances in cleanliness of the food handling environment and equipment and constant maintenance of a favourable situation is essential in ensuring a high level of consumer safety in food service.

Disclosure systems for official food safety inspection results have been introduced in many countries including Finland in order to increase compliance of food business operators (FBOs). Although the disclosure systems are intended to affect FBOs, few studies have been published on FBOs' experiences of these systems. To investigate FBOs' opinions of disclosed food safety inspections in Finland, a questionnaire was distributed in 2016. The questionnaire study also aimed to recognize factors affecting compliance and disagreements about gradings with a special focus on FBOs' risk perception. In total 1277 responses from FBOs in retail (n = 523), service (n = 507) and industry (n = 247) sectors revealed that the majority of FBOs perceived the disclosure to promote correction of non-compliance. However, many FBOs disagreed with the grading of inspection findings. Most common topics of disagreements were maintenance of premises, record-keeping of own-check plan and adequacy and suitability of premises for operations. Logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of occurrence of disagreements with grading was higher among those retail and service FBOs with a lower risk perception. Similarly, the occurrence of non-compliance was associated with FBOs' risk perception in all sectors. Thus, FBOs need proper guidance on food safety risks. These results can be used to improve the efficacy of disclosed food safety inspections.

Listeria monocytogenes causes the foodborne illness listeriosis, which exhibits high fatality among people in risk groups. The incidence of listeriosis has increased in Europe, which raises concerns about L. monocytogenes occurrence in foodstuffs. Ready-to-eat seafood products are considered particularly risky vehicles. Poor hygiene at processing facilities predisposes them to L. monocytogenes contamination, which can be controlled by stringent self-checking system measures. We examined the association of fish-processing plant operational and hygiene practices with the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in vacuum-packaged gravad (cold-salted) and cold-smoked salmon and rainbow trout products. Product sampling of 21 fish-processing plants was carried out, and operational procedures relating to L. monocytogenes control were surveyed using an in-depth risk assessment questionnaire. L. monocytogenes occurred only in sliced and mainly in gravad products of seven fish-processing plants. Shortages in preventive measures were discovered predominantly among the L. monocytogenes positive fish-processing plants. Using generalized linear modeling, we identified the following features associated with L. monocytogenes product contamination: the number of processing machines, deficiencies in the processing environment and machinery sanitation, and staff movement from areas of low toward high hygiene. Furthermore, performing frequent periodic thorough sanitation alongside everyday sanitation practices associated with a decreased risk of product contamination.

Noncompliances that decrease food safety are commonly detected in food safety inspections at restaurants, and challenges in correcting the noncompliances have been reported. Disclosure of inspection results has been used as a tool to decrease the rate of noncompliances by increasing motivation to attain and maintain compliance with regulations. However, the efficacy of disclosed inspection results is not well understood. In addition, preannouncement of the inspection and inspection interval may have an impact on the efficacy of inspections. In this longitudinal retrospective study based on disclosed restaurant inspections in Finland from the years 2017-2018, we examined the stability of compliance, correction of noncompliances at the item level, association of preannouncement with item-specific grades and association of inspection interval with compliance. The results show that compliance (inspection result Excellent) was maintained between two consecutive inspections in 60.5% of the restaurants. The inspection result To be corrected (C) improved in 72.3% and Poor (D) in 33.3% of the restaurants to an Excellent (A) or Good (B) result. Still, some noncompliances in items crucial to food safety were not corrected. This demonstrates that disclosure alone is not sufficient; other measures are also needed in food control. The inspection interval did not reveal any significant association with the stability of compliance. The proportions of C and D grades were at minimum twofold in unannounced compared to preannounced inspections in most inspected items. Unannounced inspections are therefore necessary to receive an accurate impression of the inspected items on the premises.

Inspections are an important tool for food control. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how inspection history, interval between inspections, and pre-announcement of the inspection affect compliance with food safety legislation in food production establishments. We used register-based meat, fish, and dairy establishment food control inspection data (5550 inspections from 757 establishments) from Finland in 2016–2019 to study compliance in relation to these factors. Hypothesis was that there is an association between inspection grades and (1) inspection history, (2) interval, and (3) pre-announcement. Results indicate that minor non-compliances that do not impair food safety often precede future more severe non-compliances (5.3% non-compliance rate if full compliance at previous inspection compared to 16.8% non-compliance rate if minor non-compliances at previous inspection [Fisher’s exact test, p p = 0.02]). In addition, pre-announcement of the inspection affects the inspection grades, severe non-compliances were 2.4 times more common at unannounced inspections compared to pre-announced inspections. To conclude, there is an association between inspection grades and inspection history, inspection interval, and inspection announcement.

The publication of inspection grades at food establishments has been introduced as a way to inform consumers about restaurants' food safety levels. This two-part study explored consumers' perceptions and behavioural intentions raised by the Finnish food safety inspection report Oiva. The first part of the study explored university students' (n = 98) spontaneous perceptions raised by the inspection grade, communicated with a smiley face. Perceptions related to food safety risk and one's own behaviour were most frequent. In the second part, these perceptions were used in testing the full food safety inspection report on a nationally representative sample of the 18–65 years old Finnish population (n = 1513) with a survey-experiment approach. Binary logistic and linear regressions revealed that lower inspection grades were directly associated with increased perceived food safety risk and a behavioural intention not to eat at the restaurant when the effect of perceived food safety risk was taken into account. Information about the risk type moderated the effect of lower inspection grades on perceived risk and behavioural intention. These results underline the importance of providing additional information to consumers about the type of food safety risk.

Consistency and risk-basis are core elements of effective enforcement of food safety legislation. In Finland, inspections of food retail premises have been conducted since 2013 based on new national guidelines for evaluation and grading. According to the guidelines, food control authorities should initiate an administrative enforcement process to ensure compliance if the food business operator (FBO) is given the poorest grade in the inspection. In this study, we examined the consistency within and between local food control units on the threshold of initiating an enforcement process. The study was conducted through an analysis of inspection reports of FBOs and by an electronic survey and interviews of local food control officials. The results reveal that most officials consider the national evaluation guidelines as helpful in improving the consistency of using enforcement measures. However, inconsistencies exist between and within the local food control units in the alignments of initiating an enforcement process. Enforcement measures are mainly used on a risk-basis and gradually, as in most enforcement cases the FBO had multiple non-compliances and the FBO had been given a prior request to correct the non-compliance before initiating an enforcement process. The results, however, revealed rather weak compliance and repeated violations among some FBOs. Based on the observed persistence of non -compliances and the efficacy of enforcement measures in inducing compliance, a lower threshold of initiating an enforcement process towards FBOs with repeated violations appears beneficial in enhancing the correction of violations. Increasing the consistency of the enforcement process begins with unifying the practices within the local food control units by establishing clear procedures for enforcement and ensuring adequate orientation of personnel. Further strengthening of cooperation, peer-review and discussion on interpretations of required control actions between the units is needed for nationally consistent implementation of the evaluation and disclosure system and use of enforcement measures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Official food control inspections (official inspections) of food establishments and third party audits of food safety management systems (FSMSs) based on international standards both focus on food safety, which has raised discussions on whether FSMSs and their audits could reduce official inspections in food establishments. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the findings of official inspections and third party audits in food establishments are in alignment and to survey the inspectors' and food business operators' (FBOs) perceptions of official inspections and audits. The results can be used in planning the use of audit results as part of official food control. The results show that both inspectors and auditors recognized non-compliances/non-conformities, but significant discrepancies between the findings of official inspections and audits existed, making the utilization of audit results challenging. However, most of the FBOs and inspectors agreed that official inspections and audits overlap, and the majority also agreed that audits of a certified FSMS could under certain circumstances reduce official inspections. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Meat inspection of broiler chickens (broiler) in the European Union is regulated by common legislation to secure meat safety. However, the legislation is general in nature and proper post-mortem inspection (PMI) of every carcass and visceral organs of broilers is challenging in slaughterhouses (SHs) with a high slaughter line speed. The aim of this study was to investigate the on-site organization and possible differences of the PMI in four Finnish SHs, which slaughter over 99% of broilers in Finland. Our results show that the meat inspector's available inspection time per broiler in the PMI varied between 0.28 and 0.90 s, with the shortest available inspection time in the SH with the highest slaughter line speed and the longest available inspection time in the SH with the slowest line speed. We observed that only part of the total inspection time per broiler could be used for true PMI in most (3/4) SHs, as the meat inspectors also performed other tasks during the PMI. We observed deficiencies in the visual inspection of broiler carcasses; in particular, the proper inspection of all or most of the body cavities was impossible in all SHs during the PMI. Some deficiencies in facilities (e.g. in recording system) were observed. Moreover, lighting properties varied between the SHs and a significant difference between illumination conditions at the first inspection stations in the SHs was observed. This study considered the prerequisites for proper PMI and revealed that the PMI of broilers was not completely uniform in Finland. The results emphasize the need for more precise guidelines and recommendations, especially for inspection time and lighting at inspection stations.

The Finnish Hygiene Passport System, a national legislative requirement, has been used to test the food safety knowledge of food handlers for almost 20 years, resulting in over one million approved hygiene passports. However, information on the relevance of the Hygiene Passport System is virtually nonexistent. In order to evaluate the relevance of the official hygiene passport test, we collected a sample of original official hygiene passport tests from test examiners. We also arranged a simulated hygiene passport test for volunteers without any professional background in the food sector to investigate whether the basic level of hygiene knowledge of Finns is sufficient to pass the test. Our study revealed that more than 80% of the participants in the official hygiene passport test passed. However, participants completing the test in a foreign language or with assistance had significantly more difficulties in passing the test. The results for the simulated test suggested that the food safety knowledge of most Finns would have enabled them to pass the official test without prior training, especially those older than 20 and with a higher educational level. The simulated test also revealed that preparation prior to the test, i.e. study or training, was effective in increasing the food safety knowledge of participants, especially when their knowledge level was initially low, as among young participants. Moreover, significant variation in the difficulty of the test itself was observed, which may affect the pass rate. The current study supports the relevance of the hygiene passport test, showing that without the national requirement for the hygiene passport test, the level of food hygiene knowledge of new employees in the food sector, especially young people aged under 20, would be lower. However, our results suggest that the relevance of the hygiene passport test should be improved by validation of the test and by using official translations when conducting the test in a foreign language. Digitalization of the test would enable the regular evaluation of the test based on accurate data collection.

In many countries, food safety inspection disclosure systems have been implemented in order to improve food control. However, criticism has also been levelled at these systems, especially regarding grading. Moreover, only a few studies have focused on inspectors, despite the fact that they are responsible, in practice, for applying the disclosure system and grading. To investigate inspectors' perceptions of disclosure, disagreements experienced with food business operators (FBOs) over grading and the factors possibly related to such disagreements, we conducted a questionnaire-based study with Finnish inspectors in 2017. We received 148 answers from 52 out of 62 Finnish local food control units. Most inspectors (90.8%, N = 131) considered that Oiva, the disclosure system introduced in 2013, was at least a somewhat positive change, and almost all inspectors (95.1%, N = 143) considered that disclosure enhanced, at least to some degree, the correction of non-compliances. In general, inspectors had experienced a small number of disagreements over grading with FBOs, but, in relation to some topics, over 20% of inspectors had encountered a high number of disagreements. In our multiple linear regression model, disagreements over grading were associated with the perceived openness to interpretation of grading (B = 0.37, p < 0.001) and differences experienced in risk perception between inspectors and FBOs (B = 0.12, p = 0.001). Most inspectors (67.4%; N = 144) preferred the grading guidelines to contain a small amount of openness to interpretation. Inspectors supported disclosure and considered that the Oiva system had improved food control. However, especially related to grading topics where inspectors perceived the greatest degree of openness to interpretation and the largest number of disagreements over grading with FBOs, inspectors should be further trained and supported. In addition, this study highlights the need for improved consistency in grading especially between the food control units.

We surveyed Finnish local food control officials' opinions about the use and challenges of administrative enforcement measures. Responses to the questionnaire were received from a total of 129 food control officials, covering 72.6% of the 62 local food control units in Finland. In the opinion of 42.7% of the respondents, enforcement measures are not used often enough in their unit to ensure forod safety. Based on our results, large units have better practical tools such as templates for enforcement decisions and guidelines that facilitate the use of enforcement measures than small units, but uncertain practices and a lack of routine appear to impede the use of the measures in many units. Particular challenges highlighted by the officials were related to laboriousness and slowness of the administrative process and reasoning for using enforcement measures. Moreover, impairment of cooperation with the food business operator as a consequence of using enforcement measures was of concern for many officials. The officials assessed the expertise of the head of the unit more positively in the units in which enforcement measures were used than in the units in which enforcement measures were not used, and participation in trainings was the strongest explanatory factor for the use of enforcement measures among the inspectors. Our results indicate that development of operating procedures and provision of specific training on administrative procedure with a practical approach play a key role in strengthening officials' expertise and confidence in using enforcement measures. Moreover, merging the small units with the large ones may promote uniform practices and better capabilities to use enforcement measures in all units. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Small-scale slaughterhouses (SHs) face many challenges, not least due to the requirements of food safety legislation. Food business operators' (FBOs') own-check system is very important for food safety, but its proper implementation can be quite difficult and laborious for small-scale SHs. In the European Union, the importance not only of food safety but also facilitation of local food production, including small-scale slaughtering, is highlighted. The aim of our study was to assess compliance with legislation of own-check systems, including six own-check programmes and HACCP, in small-scale SHs. The FBOs' opinions of the implementation of own-check systems were also sought to elucidate possible obstacles in implementation. Our results showed that the best compliance in own-check programmes was achieved in temperature of storage rooms and traceability. FBOs also evaluated these programmes as necessary. However, FBOs' perceived necessity of own-check programmes did not always lead to compliance, as was the case with labelling and HACCP. Instead, in HACCP laboriousness and compliance showed a negative correlation (p

In response to the EFSA call New approaches in identifying and characterizing microbial and chemical hazards, the project INNUENDO (https://sites.google.com/site/theinnuendoproject/) aimed to design an analytical platform and standard procedures for the use of whole-genome sequencing in surveillance and outbreak investigation of food-borne pathogens. The project firstly attempted to identify existing flaws and needs, and then to provide applicable cross-sectorial solutions. The project focused in developing a platform for small countries with limited economical and personnel resources. To achieve these goals, we applied a user-centered design strategy involving the end-users, such as microbiologists in public health and veterinary authorities, in every step of the design, development and implementation phases. As a result, we delivered the INNUENDO Platform V1.0 (https://innuendo.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), a stand-alone, portable, open-source, end-to-end system for the management, analysis, and sharing of bacterial genomic data. The platform uses Nextflow workflow manager to assemble analytical software modules in species-specific protocols that can be run using a user-friendly interface. The reproducibility of the process is ensured by using Docker containers and throught the annotation of the whole process using an ontology. Several modules, available at https://github.com/TheInnuendoProject, have been developed including: genome assembly and species confirmation; fast genome clustering; in silico typing; standardized species-specific phylogenetic frameworks for Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli based on an innovative gene-by-gene methodology; quality control measures from raw reads to allele calling; reporting system; a built-in communication protocols and a strain classification system enabling smooth communication during outbreak investigation. As proof-of-concepts, the proposed solutions have been thoroughly tested in simulated outbreak conditions by several public health and veterinary agencies across Europe. The results have been widely disseminated through several channels (web-sites, scientific publications, organization of workshops). The INNUENDO Platform V1.0 is effectively one of the models for the usage of open-source software in genomic epidemiology.

Vacuum-packaged cold-salted and cold-smoked fish products are considered typical vehicles for Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of the food-borne disease listeriosis, which is increasingly prevalent in the European Union. Efficacy of both the fish processing plant self-checking system and official food control conducted by authorities are crucial for L. monocytogenes prevention in the processing of these risky products. However, the impact of official control on L. monocytogenes prevention in the processing of fish products has not been extensively studied. We investigated the occurrence, control measures, and correction of non-compliances predisposing to L. monocytogenes in Finnish fish processing plants. The following features were associated with L. monocytogenes occurrence: (a) frequency of non-compliances concerning processing machinery, (b) recurrence of non-compliances, and (c) frequency of non-compliances for which official control measures were requested by inspecting authorities. Official control of fish processing plants had focused on risky areas, but non-compliances were common and their correction exhibited deficiencies. We conclude that L. monocytogenes prevention in fish processing can be enhanced by strengthening official food control measures and processing plant compliance. In particular, timely correction of all food safety violations must be improved.

To ensure the safety of meat, official control, including meat and food safety inspections in slaughterhouses, should be of high quality. The prerequisites for high-quality official control were examined by sending a questionnaire to meat inspection personnel, slaughterhouse representatives, and officials who guide and organize the official control of slaughterhouses at the central level in Finland. The questionnaire inquired about the sufficiency of meat inspection personnel resources and its effects on official control. The post-mortem inspection skills of the official auxiliaries (OAs) and steps taken by the official veterinarians (OV) to evaluate OAs’ performance in post-mortem inspection were explored. Furthermore, OAs’ independence from the slaughterhouses in meat inspection, and further training and guidance provided to meat inspection personnel were surveyed. Our results showed that in most slaughterhouses at least occasional shortage of OVs was experienced, and it decreased especially the time dedicated to food safety inspections, meat inspection personnel’s participation in further training, and guidance given to OAs by OVs. All but one chief OV considered the skills of the regular OAs in post-mortem inspection to be totally sufficient, whereas over a third of the chief OVs did not find the post-mortem inspection skills of the OA substitutes totally sufficient. In red meat slaughterhouses, the frequency of the observation of the post-mortem inspection performed by the OAs was variable, and one-third of the red meat OAs considered that their performance in post-mortem inspection was not sufficiently evaluated by the OVs. Although most of the meat inspection personnel agreed that OAs understand working independently from the slaughterhouse in meat inspection, a substantial number of poultry OAs in particular stated that the independency was not entirely clear to them. A majority of the chief OVs considered that the officials guiding meat and food safety inspections at the central level are unaware of the practical problems involved in OVs’ work. Our results highlight the importance of practical experience for the officials guiding the official control in slaughterhouses and increased feedback between OVs and OAs in slaughterhouses. An adequate number of OVs should be guaranteed in all slaughterhouses. The practices to evaluate the red meat OAs’ performance in post-mortem inspection should be standardized and the maintenance of the post-mortem inspection skills of OA substitutes improved.

We surveyed the opinions of Finnish food business operators (FBOs) about the uniformity of local official food control and its importance for dairy, fishery and meat plants. A total of 136 FBOs responded to the questionnaire. Most FBOs considered official food control to be important for food safety and were generally satisfied with its quality. However, they often did not perceive official food control as being uniform, and 23% even considered it arbitrary. Small-sized FBOs were particularly critical of the relevance of control actions. The better the FBOs assessed their cooperation with the inspector, the higher they assessed the quality, uniformity and benefits of official food control. The cooperative approach in control practices should be emphasized to support the positive views of FBOs about official food control, thus promoting food safety. Cross-audits among local food control units are recommended to improve the FBOs' experience of uniformity of food control.

The consistency of inspections is an important requirement of official food control. Inconsistency may endanger food safety and lead to mistrust in official food control. The reasons leading to inconsistency and the mitigation of inconsistency are therefore important. Here we investigated the distribution of restaurant (n = 4989) in-spection grades from 2014 in Finland to elucidate reasons for possible differences in grades. The analyses revealed both regional and local differences in the overall grades. In addition, the distribution of the own-check sections' grades between local food control units revealed a large variation, indicating inconsistent assessments of inspection findings. The inspector resources in the local food control units did not explain the discrepancies. However, we found that differences in grades are to a certain extent explained by factors related to the economic status and urbanization of the area. The effects of socioeconomic factors appear moderate, and the differences in the inspectors' evaluations of compliance remain an important issue that should be addressed on a national level through inspector training.

Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks appear frequently in food service operations (FSOs), such as in restaurants and canteens. In this study the presence of NoV and adenovirus (AdV) genomes was investigated on the surfaces of premises, especially in kitchens, of 30 FSOs where foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks were suspected. The objective was to establish a possible association between the presence of virus genomes on surfaces and a visual hygienic status of the FSOs. NoV genome was found in 11 and AdV genome in 8 out of 30 FSOs. In total, 291 swabs were taken, of which 8.9% contained NoV and 5.8% AdV genome. The presence of NoV genomes on the surfaces was not found to associate with lower hygiene level of the premises when based on visual inspection; most (7/9) of the FSOs with NoV contamination on surfaces and a completed evaluation form had a good hygiene level (the best category). Restaurants had a significantly lower proportion of NoV-positive swabs compared to other FSOs (canteens, cafeteria, schools etc.) taken together (p = 0.00014). The presence of a designated break room for the workers was found to be significantly more common in AdV-negative kitchens (p = 0.046). Our findings suggest that swabbing is necessary for revealing viral contamination of surfaces and emphasis of hygiene inspections should be on the food handling procedures, and the education of food workers on virus transmission. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12560-017-9291-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Finnish food control authorities waived pre-inspections of food premises in 2011, leaving food business operators to begin operating with no pre-operation food control. This study aims to investigate the effects of this food policy change on the preconditions for Good Hygienic Practices (GHPs) on food premises. Of the 916 food premises that were included in this study, 379 were pre-approved whereas 537 merely notified their operations. The results show that notified food service premises (restaurants) preparing food displayed significantly more non-compliance pertaining to infrastructure than did restaurants pre-approved for food preparation (11.5% and 1.8% of the premises, respectively) (p < 0.05). Significant differences also emerged in the number of premises with non-compliance pertaining to cleaning facilities and equipment, and marked differences in the adequacy of hand and other washing sites. Such instances of non-compliance weaken the preconditions for GHPs. The results suggest that reintroducing pre-inspections of restaurants would strengthen the preconditions for GHPs and possibly provide a model for other countries with similar food control systems.

We evaluated the consistency and efficacy of inspection processes of 17 Finnish municipal food control units by analyzing inspection reports of 83 restaurants over the 2007–2011 period and by interviewing food business operators. Fifty-six officials of the food control units responded to an electronic questionnaire about their inspection activities. We found several factors related to the food establishment, the food control official and the working unit of the official that can affect the inspection processes and the efficacy of the controls. The use of checklists and templates for inspection reports enhanced the consistency and efficacy of the controls. The templates also reduced the time used for, and increased the quality of, reporting. Time limits for correcting non-compliances had a significant effect on the efficacy of controls.

Transferring meat inspection tasks from food safety authorities to slaughterhouses has sparked interest worldwide in the pursuit of cost-efficiency. In Finland, two main organizational models for meat inspection are used: official auxiliaries are employed 1) by the authority or 2) by the slaughterhouse (possible only in poultry slaughterhouses). Here, we examined the functionality of these two different organizational models by issuing a questionnaire to the official veterinarians, official auxiliaries, slaughterhouse representatives and authorities responsible for organizing and guiding meat inspection in Finland. The questionnaire enquired how the distribution of food chain information (FCI), ante mortem and post mortem inspection tasks function in red meat and poultry slaughterhouses, and whether changes in the distribution should be made. Views on the importance of these meat inspection tasks were also evaluated. Our results showed that meat inspection personnel, slaughterhouse representatives and the officials guiding and organizing meat inspection considered ante and post mortem inspections important or very important. Both in red meat and poultry slaughterhouses, the meat inspection organizational model functioned well in relation to ante and post mortems inspections, which is essential for effective and precise inspection. FCI inspection was considered less important than ante and post mortem inspections, and respondents observed serious problems in receiving accurate FCI, which should be promptly resolved. It is also of concern that official red meat veterinarians considered FCI inspection significantly less important in relation to animal welfare than the officials organizing and guiding meat inspection. Authorities should have a mutual understanding of the importance of the tasks to ensure uniformity of official control. In the red meat slaughterhouses, most of the official veterinarians, official auxiliaries and slaughterhouse representatives considered it essential for consumer confidence that official auxiliaries employed by the authority perform post mortem inspection. The role of the official veterinarian in ante mortem inspection and whole carcass-condemnation (in red meat slaughterhouses) was also highly valued by the respondents.

Enforcement measures are an administrative tool used by food control authorities for making food business operators (FBOs) comply with food safety regulations. This study evaluates the effectiveness and uniformity of the use of enforcement measures in local food control units in Finland. The study investigates whether and how rapidly the use enforcement measures leads to compliance with food safety regulations and whether the enforcement processes and their durations vary according to the seriousness of non-compliance. Enforcement decisions were requested from 29 (34%) local food control units, ten of which had used no enforcement measures during the study period. A total of 188 enforcement cases from 19 control units were analysed. The food safety violations were categorized into critical and non-critical, based on their likeliness to directly contribute to food contamination or foodborne outbreaks. The use of enforcement measures led to verified compliance in 87.2% of the violations. However, enforcement measures were used recurrently in 15.7% of the violations, due to repeated violations. The duration of the enforcement processes ranged from one day up to several years. The duration of the enforcement process was significantly shorter in critical violations than in non-critical violations (Mann–Whitney U, p Enforcement measures appear to be an effective way of ensuring that FBOs correct their food safety violations, although the enforcement processes were rather long in some cases and required recurrent enforcement. However, several control units had not used enforcement measures, which may be due to dissimilarities in food control actions. Use of enforcement measures should be uniform among food control authorities and equal for FBOs.

The official control of small-scale slaughterhouses has received criticism for inconsistent meat inspection fees and for the poor quality guidance and cooperation with food business operators (FBO) in Finland. The official control including both meat inspection (ante and post mortem) and food safety inspections (verification of FBO’s self-inspection) of small-scale slaughterhouses was centralized from municipalities to the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) in 2011 to address these perceived shortcomings. This study aimed to investigate the early effects of the centralization of meat inspection and food safety inspections, specifically the standardization of meat inspection fees and the quality of meat inspection services. In March all small-scale slaughterhouses (n = 52) received a questionnaire on the effects of centralizing meat inspection. We interviewed 12 small-scale slaughterhouses on site and the official veterinarians of ten of these small-scale slaughterhouses by phone. The results showed that introducing a meat inspection fee structure based on fixed hourly taxation that includes a fixed travel expense, can lead to more standardized fees. The variation in meat inspection fees after centralization was significantly smaller (Levene’s test, p = 0.013) than before. Moreover, after centralization, meat inspection fees and the number of slaughtered animal units per year showed no significant correlation. Meat inspection fees decreased for the majority of FBOs, which was expected because of the government subsidies the FBOs received. The majority of FBOs perceived the guidance as good both before and after centralization, and both FBOs and official veterinarians assessed their cooperation as good. The availability of official veterinarians to perform ante and post mortem inspections posed no problem for most FBOs. However, 50% of the FBOs interviewed stated that the official veterinarian had performed no food safety inspections after centralization, which can negatively impact food safety. The majority of the official veterinarians stated that the guidance they received from the NFSA improved after centralization, but they still urged more guidance on interpreting food safety requirements and performing food safety inspections.

Temperature control of food products in retail food stores (food stores) is essential for food safety. The food business operator (FBO) must ensure that the product temperatures comply with food regulations. This study investigated the temperatures of products in 32 food stores and the relationship between the product temperature with the temperature of the refrigeration equipment (open front) and the temperature settings. The FBOs awareness of the equipment and product temperatures and the equipment temperature settings (temperature setpoint, alarm setpoint, timing for alarm to go off) were also investigated. The food stores represented four nationwide chain-store groups in Finland. The study included four categories of food products namely: fresh fish, minced meat, vacuum packed ready-to-eat processed fish and other ready-to-eat products, all of which are easily perishable products. Vacuum packed fish products and other ready-to-eat products are also sensitive to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The temperatures of the products (n = 84) and refrigeration equipment (n = 86) were measured by a temperature data logger by the health inspector for 24 h. Temperature violations were observed in 50% of the products and 17.9% of the products exceeded the temperature limit by over 3 °C for more than 30 min. Products that were most often in noncompliance were fresh fish and vacuum packed processed fish products. Temperature violations were observed in food stores in all four chain-store groups and no significant difference between the chain-store groups was observed. The temperature of the equipment as measured by the refrigeration equipment's fixed thermometers differed significantly from the temperatures of the products. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the equipment temperatures (fixed thermometer) and the products with the exception of minced meat. These results highlight, that the product temperature could not be reliably determined by the equipment's fixed thermometer. There was a lack of awareness of temperature settings in all chain-store groups. Only three stores (9.4%) were aware of all the settings of the inspected equipment. The results show that the FBOs own-check of equipment and product temperatures is not functioning correctly in food stores. This can have serious consequences for food safety. FBOs, equipment manufacturers, monitoring system providers and official food control authorities should take active measures to improve the situation.

Official food control inspects retail food stores (food stores) regularly for compliance with food safety regulations. The health officer (inspector) inspects the food store's own-check (self-verification) and facilities and operations. The own-check inspection is usually performed on-site and includes the examination of own-check documentation. The chain-store groups (grocery multiple retailers) studied have developed an internet based own-check databank for documentation of own-check data for their own use, and also to enable official food control to make inspections via the internet. The chain-stores aim to speed up and possibly decrease the number of on-site inspections made by the official control in food stores. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy and reliability of the own-check databank from the view of official food control. Fourteen food stores that represented three different national chain-store groups in a local municipality in Finland were included in the study. The own-check documentation from a 3-month period with regard to the receiving of products, cleanliness and temperatures of the refrigeration equipment was inspected by the official control via the internet based own-check databank. This was followed by an on-site inspection for comparison. The frequency of non-compliance for cleanliness recorded by the inspector on-site was significantly higher than the frequency of non-compliance recorded in the databank (Fisher's exact test, p 3 °C for at least 30 min) of refrigeration equipment for minced meat and processed fish products, determined by temperature data logger (24 h measurement), in 57.1% (8/14) of the stores. In contrast, no non-compliance regarding those same refrigeration equipment was recorded in the databank during a 3-month period. Discrepancies between the inspection results of cold holding and cleanliness in the databank and the on-site inspections were observed in food stores representing all three chain-store groups. The observed differences between the databank data and the on-site inspections, suggest that the frequency of on-site inspections should not be decreased or substituted by off-site databank inspections. Issues of on-site inspection and off-site databank inspection are discussed. Further, the study revealed serious problems in maintaining and monitoring of the temperature in refrigeration equipment in food stores.

The reasons for the use of enforcement measures (coercive measures) in food premises were analysed. Decisions made by local food control authorities on enforcement measures in food premises are not collected by any authority in Finland. Therefore, the type and seriousness of non-compliance leading to the use of these measures in different types of food premises are generally unknown, which may increase uncertainty in their application. Decisions on enforcement measures were requested from 29 (34%) local food control units in Finland, resulting in a total of 166 decisions from 19 control units. The non-compliance underlying these decisions was categorized into 27 categories, which were further identified as contributing factors or risk factors for outbreaks based on knowledge from previous studies. The most frequent non-compliances leading to the use of enforcement measures were incorrect labelling (34.3%), unapproved premises or activities (25.9%), poor condition of surfaces (25.9%), and inadequate cleaning (24.7%). Premises with poor condition of surfaces correlated significantly with premises showing inadequate cleaning (Fisher's exact test, p Several of the non-compliances (33.3%) recorded in the decisions had been recorded as contributing or risk factors for outbreaks, and 65.1% of the decisions included at least one of these non-compliances. Authorities appear therefore to use enforcement measures in cases where the occurrence of a health hazard is obvious or possible.

Aims: Acid and heat tolerance of 17 persistent and 23 nonpersistent Listeria monocytogenes strains, recovered from three meat-processing plants, were investigated. Methods and Results: The isolates were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and categorized into persistent strains according to the frequency of the strain and duration of the contamination. The persistent and nonpersistent strains were challenged to acidic conditions (pH 2·4 for 2 h, 1 mol l−1 HCl were used to acidify the suspension) and to heat (55°C for 40 min) to receive a reduction in cell count. Listeria monocytogenes strains showed large variation in acid tolerance (over 6 log units) and in heat tolerance (3 log units). The persistent strains showed higher tolerance to acidic conditions than the nonpersistent strains (Student’s t-test, P = 0·02), but significant differences in heat tolerance between persistent and nonpersistent strains were not observed. Conclusions: The results indicate that acid tolerance may have an effect on the persistence of L. monocytogenes contamination. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study highlights the fact that there are great differences in acid and heat tolerances between L. monocytogenes strains, and the preventive measures should be designed to be effective against the most tolerant strains.

A total of 312 samples of sliced, vacuum packaged, cold-smoked pork from 15 meat processing plants in Latvia and Lithuania, obtained over a 15-month period from 2003 until 2004, were analyzed for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes at the end of their shelf-life. Overall, 120 samples (38%) tested positive for L. monocytogenes. Despite the long storing period, the levels of L. monocytogenes in cold-smoked pork products were low. Manufacturing processes were studied at seven meat processing plants. A new approach with a logistic multivariable regression model was applied to identify the main factors associated with L. monocytogenes contamination during the manufacturing of cold-smoked pork products. Brining by injection was a significant factor (odds ratio 10.66; P0.05) for contamination of product with L. monocytogenes. Moreover, long cold-smoking times (or = 12 h) had a significant predictive value (odds ratio 24.38; P0.014) for a sample to test positive for L. monocytogenes. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis results indicated that various sources of L. monocytogenes contamination existed over periods of time in several meat processing plants. In two meat processing plants, persistent L. monocytogenes strains belonging to serotypes 1/2a and 1/2c were found.

This article describes the Finnish meat-inspection curriculum and presents an expert-panel evaluation of meat-inspection education. The work tasks of the meat-inspection veterinarian are challenging and include classical meat inspection, meat hygiene, hygiene control, and animal disease and welfare. The meat-inspection veterinarian is not only an inspector, which by itself is very demanding, but also an expert or “consultant” on food safety. The significant role of the meat-inspection veterinarian in society puts high demands on meat-inspection education, which should provide veterinary students with sufficient tools to perform meat inspection and hygiene control in slaughterhouses, cutting premises, and further processing plants. To be of high quality, such education must be evaluated from time to time. An expert panel evaluated Finnish undergraduate meat-inspection education and found that it provides veterinary students with good knowledge of meat inspection. The structure of the curriculum, with theoretical studies followed by four weeks of practice in a slaughterhouse, was considered vital for learning and for creating interest in meat inspection. The evaluation also revealed that certain subjects should receive greater emphasis and some new subjects should be introduced. Hygiene-control tasks, in particular, have increased and should receive more emphasis in education. Personnel management and interaction skills should be introduced into the curriculum as these skills influence all the duties of the meat-inspection veterinarian. This article outlines the subjects to be included in the modern, high-quality meat-inspection curriculum recommended by the expert panel.

Consumption of packaged fresh leafy vegetables, which are convenient ready-to-eat products, has increased during the last decade. The number of foodborne outbreaks associated with these products has concurrently increased. In our study, (1) label information, (2) O2/CO2 composition, (3) bacterial quality and (4) safety of 100 fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level were studied in Finland during 2013. Bacterial quality was studied using aerobic bacteria (AB) and coliform bacteria (CB) counts, and searching for the presence of Escherichia coli, Listeria and Yersinia. The safety was studied by the presence of Salmonella, ail-positive Yersinia, stx-positive E. coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes using PCR and culturing. Important label information was unavailable on several packages originating from different companies. The packaging date was missing on all packages and the date of durability on 83% of the packages. Storage temperature was declared on 62% of the packages and 73% of the packages contained information about prewashing. The batch/lot number was missing on 29% of the packages. Very low oxygen (O2) (

Ten low-capacity slaughterhouses were examined for Listeria by collecting a total of 373 samples, of which 50, 250, and 73 were taken from carcasses, pluck sets, and the slaughterhouse environment, respectively. Six slaughterhouses and 9% of all samples were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Of the samples taken from pluck sets, 9% were positive for L. monocytogenes, the highest prevalence occurring in tongue and tonsil samples, at 14% and 12%, respectively. Six of 50 (12%) carcasses were contaminated with L. monocytogenes. In the slaughterhouse environment, L. monocytogenes was detected in two, one, one, and one sample originating from the saws, drain, door, and table, respectively. Carcasses were contaminated with L. monocytogenes in those two slaughterhouses, where the mechanical saws, used for both brisket and back splitting, were also positive for L. monocytogenes. A total of 58 L. monocytogenes isolates were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing. The isolates were divided into 18 pulsotypes, 15 of which were detected in pluck sets. In two slaughterhouses, where the carcasses were contaminated with L. monocytogenes, the same pulsotypes were also recovered from splitting saws. In addition, identical pulsotypes were recovered from pluck sets. Our findings indicate that L. monocytogenes of tongue and tonsil origin may contaminate the slaughtering equipment that may in turn spread the pathogen to carcasses. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to follow good manufacturing practices and to have efficient cleaning and disinfection procedures to prevent equipment being contaminated with L. monocytogenes.

Adherence of 3 persistent and 14 nonpersistent Listeria monocytogenes strains to stainless steel surfaces after short and long contact times was investigated. L. monocytogenes strains were obtained from poultry plants and an ice cream plant throughout several years. Adherence tests were performed in tryptic soy broth at 25 degrees C for 1, 2, and 72 h. Test surfaces were rinsed after the contact time, and attached cells were stained with acridine orange and enumerated with an epifluorescence microscope. The persistent poultry plant strains showed adherence 2- to 11-fold higher than the nonpersistent strains following 1- and 2-h contact times. The adherence of the persistent ice cream plant strain after 1- and 2-h contact times was higher than most of the nonpersistent strains. Seven of 12 nonpersistent ice cream strains showed an adherence of less than half that of the persistent strain. After 72 h, the differences in adherence were not as marked, since half the nonpersistent strains had reached adherence levels comparable with the persistent strains. In fact, three nonpersistent strains showed even higher adherence than the persistent strains. Thus, results of this study reveal that persistent L. monocytogenes strains show enhanced adherence at short contact times, promoting their survival in food processing facilities and possibly having an effect on initiation of persistent plant contamination.

The efficiencies of potassium persulphate, isopropanol, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, quaternary ammonium compound, hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, ethanol and phenol derivatives, tertiary alkylamines and dimethyl alamine betaine‐based disinfectants and a hypochlorite‐based disinfecting cleaning agent were evaluated against eight Listeria monocytogenes strains representing three different ribotypes. All the disinfectants were effective in a suspension test with an exposure time of 30 s at the lowest concentrations recommended by the manufacturer. The efficiencies on surfaces were reduced. However, on clean surfaces all the agents were considered effective when the exposure time was 5 min and the concentration was the average recommended by the manufacturer. Five of nine disinfectants and the disinfecting cleaning agent were considered effective in soiled conditions in the surface test. The most efficient agent was isopropanol‐based and the least effective was the disinfectant containing tertiary alkylamine and dimethyl alamine betaine. Differences in bactericidal efficiencies of disinfectants against different L. monocytogenes strains on meat soiled surfaces were found.