Services

Our Services

Food Control Consultants Ltd (FCC) provides specialist consultancy and technical assistance in food safety, veterinary public health, animal health, official controls and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) matters.

We work with governments, competent authorities, international organisations and the private sector to develop and strengthen regulatory systems, institutions and practical controls. Assignments range from policy and legislation to institutional development, auditing, training and implementation.

Food Safety and Official Controls

FCC supports the development and improvement of national food-control systems and competent authorities.

Our work includes risk-based official controls, inspection systems, food hygiene, HACCP, auditing, traceability, laboratory systems, enforcement procedures and capacity building.

We also assist food businesses in assessing and improving compliance with regulatory and market requirements.

 For more information go to Food Safety and Official Controls page. 

Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health

FCC provides expertise across veterinary services, animal-health systems and veterinary public health.

Assignments may include animal-disease surveillance and control, contingency planning, animal identification and movement controls, veterinary certification, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), veterinary laboratories and strengthening of veterinary services. 

 For more detailed  information on animal and public health, go to the Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health page.

SPS, International Trade and Market Access

FCC assists governments, competent authorities and businesses in meeting sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for international trade.

We have particular experience with EU requirements for imports of animals and products of animal origin, including assessment of national control systems, legislation, competent authorities, establishments, laboratories, certification and border controls.

Support can extend from an initial gap analysis through development and implementation of corrective measures to preparation for international assessments and audits.

 For more information go to EU compliance and trade

Legislation and Regulatory Systems

FCC assesses, develops and drafts legislation covering food safety, veterinary public health, animal health and related regulatory areas.

This includes primary and secondary legislation, implementing measures, guidance, procedures and institutional responsibilities, as well as support for approximation to EU and international requirements.

Our approach is to ensure that legislation is not only legally sound but also practical, enforceable and supported by the institutional capacity required for implementation.

For more information go to Legal Support

Food Industry and HACCP

FCC works with food businesses and competent authorities to improve food hygiene and food-safety management.

Services include GHP/GMP and HACCP development, establishment assessment, compliance audits, corrective-action programmes, traceability and recall systems, staff training and preparation for regulatory or certification audits.

FCC has particular experience with meat, dairy, fish and other products of animal origin, including slaughterhouses and processing establishments.

FCC can also provide Estabman, a digital system for recording, managing and analysing inspections and audits using tablets, mobile devices or laptops. See also under Resources

For more information go to Industry controls

Veterinary Border Controls

Effective border controls are an essential component of animal-health and food-safety protection.

FCC assists with the development and assessment of veterinary border inspection systems, import procedures, legislation, facilities, documentation, certification and staff training, including systems designed to meet EU requirements.

For more information go to Veterinary Border Controls  

Animal By-Products

FCC provides specialist advice on the regulation, control and management of animal by-products (ABPs) arising from slaughter, food production, farming, international transport and other activities involving animals and products of animal origin.

Our work includes assessment and development of legislation and competent-authority systems, classification and handling of animal by-products, collection and transport, processing and disposal, approval and supervision of establishments, traceability, import and export controls, and measures to protect animal and public health.

FCC has particular experience with European Union animal by-product requirements and their practical implementation, including the management of international catering waste containing products of animal origin.

Read more: Animal By-Products

Laboratories

FCC supports food-control and veterinary laboratory systems through needs assessment, institutional review, quality-management development, laboratory networking, training and capacity building.

Laboratory assignments are considered as part of the wider control system so that analytical capacity is aligned with surveillance, inspection, enforcement and regulatory priorities.

For more information go to: Laboratories

One Health

Many contemporary food-safety and animal-health challenges require coordinated action across human, animal and environmental health.

FCC applies a One Health perspective where appropriate, particularly in work involving zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, surveillance, foodborne hazards, laboratory systems and institutional coordination.

For more information see: One Health 

Other Specialist Areas

FCC’s expertise also covers related areas including:

• animal welfare;
• animal feed;
• veterinary medicinal products;
• traceability and animal identification;
• training and capacity building;
• institutional assessment and development;
• monitoring and evaluation.

From Advice to Implementation

FCC’s work is practical and implementation-oriented. Depending on the assignment, we can provide individual specialists or multidisciplinary teams and work from initial assessment through policy development, system design, implementation, training and evaluation.

Our international network enables us to assemble teams appropriate to the technical, institutional and geographical requirements of each project.