Understanding the effects of reductions in local government expenditure on food safety services in England, 2009-10 to 2019-20: a longitudinal ecological study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To understand how reductions in resource allocation affect food safety services in England.

Design

This longitudinal ecological study analysed secondary observational data.

Setting

England, data at the local authority level.

Participants

Ecological study, without human participants.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome measures were the number of staff, represented by the number of full-time equivalents per capita, number of interventions per establishment, and proportion of hygiene-compliant establishments.

Results

A £1 decrease in food safety expenditure per capita was associated with a 2% (-3.3 to -0.7) decrease in staffing levels and a 1.6% (-3.2 to -0.1) decrease in the number of interventions achieved per esta

SUBMITTER: Murrell L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815172 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature