Risk-Based Routine Inspection Planners for Food Premises and Imported Consignments (Published)
Existing risk-based inspection plans use descriptive terms to categorize the food establishments according to their risk levels, hence inspection visits are planned. The current paper hypothesized the reliance of the number of the yearly routine inspection visits to a food establishment on its risk level and a predetermined fixed inspection confidence level of 95% , accordingly a routine inspection visits planner and an inspection frequency calculator were developed. Similarly, a calculator was developed to predetermine the number of consignments to be inspected at the ports of entry of countries. Following the use of the risk levels between 99% and 1% and according to the obtained number of yearly visits to an establishment, 12 risk groups are reported with a corresponding frequency of inspection range from as minimum as 30 days to as high as 365 days. The findings will reform the risk grouping of food establishments from a static to a dynamic figure-based one thence help allocating resource and focus on the riskiest establishments. The imported consignments planner could easily be used and adjusted to suit calculating the approximate number of consignments to be inspected at the ports of entry based on any risk category.
Keywords: Establishment, Food, consignment, inspection plan, risk level, routine inspection