With the growing rate of food sold online, we spoke to Mark O’Neill at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland about the challenges in the area.
The past five years has seen the online sale of food increase steadily. The introduction of third party sellers, such as the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat, as well as large retailers offering shopping online and delivery services, has aided this trend. So, what are the challenges and food safety implications when selling food online?
Mark O’Neill, Senior Advisor (Hygiene) within the Local Authority Policy and Delivery team of the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland, explains. “This is a hugely expansive and growing area, including everyone from supermarkets providing online shopping, to ‘Jo Bloggs’ Cupcakes selling on Facebook. Food related e-commerce grew by 17.6% last year. There is a big spectrum here. But the key issues are the same for a static business as for online. The same rules apply for the online sale of food as for food being sold from physical establishments. The company must be registered or approved by the relevant authority; they must ensure that the food sold and supplied is safe to eat; and the labeling, advertising and presentation of food must be correct and not misleading.”
Mark was previously an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) within local government. In his current role, Mark advises Local Authority Councils on the implementation of official controls and regulations as well as providing assistance in integrating policy and guidance for district councils.
Mark is also involved in EHO training: “New legislation or updated technology can be very complex at times and things are moving very fast. We identify key areas that people need to be upskilled in and offer training.”
He notes that hygiene and food safety are the predominant issues when selling food online: “When selling food online you need to determine the safety parameters for that product. If you are sending food from Newry to Boston, the controls are different (than sending it a short distance): is it shelf-life stable at ambient temperature, will it arrive in a safe manner? The key priority is product safety.”
Standards in labelling and traceability, he continues, are also very important. Those selling food online must supply the same information as if buying from a physical retail environment. Mandatory food information must be available online before purchase and mandatory information must be provided at the moment of delivery to the consumer. “Whatever you have on your label, you should be displaying online also, so your consumer can view it before purchasing – including ingredients and allergen information.”
With regards to traceability, Mark highlights that online sellers possibly have an advantage within the supply chain. Traditionally, it is a ‘one step forward, one step back approach’: “You need to know where you got the product from and where the product is going to. You don’t necessarily need to know the final customer. But online gives you an advantage in that you will be recording details for sale, maybe email addresses. This is data that may be helpful if, for example, you become aware that a product is unsafe. You can contact those people directly affected and limit product recall, rather than having to recall from a batch code or expiry date. The tighter a traceability system, the more cost efficient it will be for businesses in the long run and for a company’s reputation, as well as for safety.”
Overall, the biggest factor that affects online food sales in comparison to sales from physical establishments is the added complexity of the delivery element. “You need to assess the product, bearing in mind issues of safety and hygiene. Issues such as temperature control – can you ensure that you can get the food to the customer at the required temperature? This is why many delivery services only operate within a particular radius and companies invest in insulated packaging and refrigerated vehicles. Also, can you ensure that no contaminants or foreign bodies – from glass all the way to dust – comes in contact with the food? If you employ a third party to deliver you need to be satisfied that they are capable of meeting all requirements. It is your responsibility to do sufficient testing to guarantee that the food arrives in a safe manner.”
Another significant area of Mark’s work is in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). This is awarded to businesses based on findings of inspections by district councils and is a key part of food hygiene and safety for food businesses in Northern Ireland. The three component scores which make up the food hygiene rating (awarded a score of 0-5) are: 1) Compliance wth hygiene requirements – how the food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored; 2) Compliance with structural requirements – the condition of the structure of the buildings, including the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities; 3) Confidence in management/ control procedures – how food safety within the business is managed.
“It is a statutory requirement for the food hygiene rating sticker to be displayed on food premises to allow consumers to make an informed choice and this will soon be the case for online food sales.”
About Mark
Hobbies/Interests: I suppose I am considered a stereotypical Irish man – I come from a farm in Armagh and enjoy playing Gaelic football! I also enjoy cooking.
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