FSA: councils must raise their game for Olympics

An exercise by the FSA has exposed weaknesses in local authorities’ ability to cope with a potential food poisoning outbreak at the London 2012 Olympics.

With thousands of visitors due to descend on the country, the FSA has made public health a major priority and is planning a major crackdown on potentially unsafe outlets near venues.

Enforcement officers at cash-strapped local authorities face taking on much of the burden of the work.

However, a report reveals an exercise in July called Exercise Elderflower, which simulated a “high-level microbiological incident”, had exposed communications breakdowns across local authority boundaries that left officers unsure of their duties.

“One of the outcomes from Exercise Elderflower was the requirement to enhance communications; particularly between local authorities and with the media,” the report stated.

Colin Houston, head of incidents at the FSA, said the agency would leave no stone unturned in making sure the right procedures were in place.

“We deal with incidents day in day out but for a lot of organisations it’s not a day-to-day occurrence,” he said.