Between The Lines – October 2021 by Food Standards Agency

ISSUE 50 | OCTOBER 2021

YOU CHOOSE YOU NOMINATE WE ALL CELEBRATE 06

Turn to page 6 for the FSA Awards 2021 PAGE 4 Let’s hear it for Richard Lambert!

PAGE 9 Latest on our Speak Up campaign

PAGE 11 In conversation with Annwen Bell

WELCOME

WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER EDITION OF BETWEEN THE LINES Winter planning is well underway within Operations and also across the wider organisation, as we build on the good work carried out last year and review our current contingency measures. I know that resourcing is still very stretched in meat inspection and I am grateful to our frontline teams who continue to go above and beyond, covering shifts and travelling when needed to other plants to ensure we can maintain service delivery. Thank you to everyone involved including those qualified staff from other directorates and teams, who have returned to plants to fill gaps and support us. We’re working closely with Eville and Jones, our service delivery partner, to forecast resources. In the next few months, a

number of new MHIs and OVs will join us and this should ease the pressure we’ve experienced this past year. On the topic of colleagues going above and beyond, I’m delighted to share the news that this month we’re launching the FSA Awards, designed to celebrate colleagues from across the organisation. The prestigious Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year and the Vet of the Year awards will join eight other categories, each specially chosen to recognise colleagues and the breadth and depth of work we do. You can read more about the awards on pages 6-7 and please get ready to nominate from 18 October! The nomination process is not a demanding exercise, so do take the time to recognise each other. As you may already know, I have recently accepted the role of Chief

Executive Officer for the Human Tissue Authority. It’s a decision made with mixed emotions. I am excited about the new opportunity, but I am also leaving a truly great organisation with wonderful colleagues who are the very essence of public service. I’ve found working with you all incredibly rewarding and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together as a team. I’ll be with you until December and in the meantime there is still lots to do. Thanks again for all the efforts ensuring we have food we can trust.

Colin Sullivan Chief Operating Officer

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT OCTOBER The Race and Ethnicity Network is marking Black History Month with a series of events and competitions to celebrate the achievements of BAME individuals in the areas of science and technology, history and politics, literature and culture. Colleagues are invited to attend a range of events throughout October, including Lunch and Learn sessions, themed panel discussions and opportunities to hear from special guest speakers like Professor Levermore, who is joining us for a talk chaired by our Chief Scientific Adviser, Robin May. On Yammer, colleagues can get involved in themed quizzes, read about leading figures in the BAME space and celebrate music of black origin with the FSA’s Top 100 BHM playlist. We are also encouraging colleagues to participate in our very own Great BHM Cooking Challenge. Building on the success of

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last year’s Balti Challenge, we are anticipating some showstopping, mouth-watering culinary creations – be sure to share your dishes over on Yammer. For more information, and to find out about all the events and activities taking place, please visit the intranet.

NEWS

A BRIGHT

FUTURE FOR THE PROFESSION Emily’s address to the Association of Meat Inspectors Emily Miles recently spoke at the Association of Meat Inspectors’ Annual Conference which took place virtually this year. In her address, Emily thanked Meat Hygiene Inspectors for their incredible efforts throughout the pandemic and for the vital part they play in helping us to deliver our mission of ensuring food we can trust. She said: “You have all displayed dedication, hard work and flexibility throughout the last year as we responded to the impact of the pandemic. This hasn’t been easy, and I know this has meant many of you working additional days and longer shifts. Some of you have had to balance your work with care for family members, and many of our

colleagues from overseas have not been able to visit home because of the travel restrictions. I am exceptionally proud of what you have all achieved and grateful for your ongoing support.” Emily also reaffirmed her commitment to support the development of the profession and outlined how operational transformation will help to deliver improved and more rewarding career pathways. She said: “The role of the MHI is not going anywhere and, in fact, we see a bright future with more responsibilities. We see your work as playing a vital part in helping us deliver on our mission of ensuring food we can trust.”

Emily’s speech also covered our priorities, developments in small abattoirs and animal welfare, delegated enforcement decision-making, and diversity and inclusion. To read the speech in full, hold your camera phone over this code and follow the link to our website.

WHAT’S ON? 10 OCTOBER / 18 – 22 OCTOBER World Mental Health Awareness Day and Wellbeing week To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October and Wellbeing Awareness Week (w/c 18 October), we’ll be sharing a range of activities for colleagues to get involved in. Find out more by visiting the intranet where you’ll find information about what’s on and details of all the support available to you, all year round.

17 – 23 OCTOBER Invisible Disabilities Week The week aims to encourage, educate and connect people around non-visible disabilities. Our AccessABILITY network will be posting across Yammer and leading conversations around often overlooked barriers that many colleagues with non-visible disabilities may face.

7 – 14 NOVEMBER Interfaith Week Look out for information on the intranet – coming soon. 19 NOVEMBER International Men’s Day Look out for information on the intranet – coming soon.

NEWS

AMI TRAINEE

MEAT INSPECTOR OF THE YEAR Congratulations go to Richard Lambert, who was awarded Trainee Meat Inspector of the Year at the annual Association of Meat Inspectors conference in September. Main image: Richard Lambert. Below right: (pictured from left) Mark Birbeck, Steve Kinsella, Vincent Smith, Ian Riley, Constantin Vlad, Peter Harrison and Richard Lambert

After completing his training last year, Richard Lambert has been recognised by the Association of Meat Inspectors (AMI) as Trainee Meat Inspector of the Year, for demonstrating outstanding commitment and professionalism to the role, producing excellent coursework and continually going above and beyond throughout his training. Richard said: “I’m shocked but delighted to win the AMI Trainee of the Year award. Although I had an advantage of working as a slaughter-man for 26 years previously and being used to a plant environment, I found the course incredibly challenging. This is the first academic training I’ve undertaken since school. But it’s been really rewarding too and I still find there’s something new to learn about meat inspection every day.” “Colleagues have gone out of their way to support me and share knowledge. I’m committed to doing the same for future generations of meat inspectors. I’d like to acknowledge my wife and children, who supported me throughout the 27 weeks of training. I gave the course everything and had plenty of emotional ups and downs. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and friends.” The AMI Trainee Inspector of the Year is an independent award which is based on nominations made by regional training and assessment teams and judged by a panel of representatives from the FSA, AMI and AMI Trust. Richard’s nomination competed against strong entries from across the country and colleagues at his base plant in Preston are very proud of his win. They said: “Richard was the perfect candidate to win this award and we are so proud of him. Working with Richard is like a breath of fresh air. He always gives 100%. Since completing his training, Richard has been supporting our latest cohort of trainees, showing them round, teaching knife safety and his top tips to get the job done right. “We know there’s plenty more great things to come for Richard and we feel very lucky to have him as part of our team.”

NEWS

SUPPORT FOR FUTURE DELIVERY MODEL The Operational Transformation Programme’s Future Delivery Model has received support, following a consultation this summer At the Board meeting in September, our FSA Chair, Susan Jebb, described the programme’s Future Delivery Model and risk-based approach to regulation as “being at the heart of what we do”, and that despite the challenges of the pandemic, the progress we’ve made has reached a watershed moment.

importance of food safety and our very clear commitment to consumers. The consultation has also highlighted areas where we need to carry out more work. We are grateful for the Board’s support and look forward to now using the Future Delivery Model as a framework to build upon.” A consultation response paper will be published later in October Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer and as part of the next phase, and programme sponsor, says: “We’re the programme team are already pleased to receive support for the exploring the work required to Future Delivery Model and each of the identify further opportunities for seven elements proposed after active modernisation, building on the consultation with stakeholders, staff agreed framework. and trade unions. Some key themes Susan says: “I’m genuinely excited have emerged, which reinforce the about how operational transformation

will ensure we work more efficiently and effectively, make better use of data and technology and implement evidence-based interventions. “It’s important everyone understands that the programme will enhance our ability to keep food safe. It is not about cutting corners, but making things better and allowing us to achieve better outcomes.” Find out more A more detailed Consultation Response Report will be published later in October. Look out for the internal announcements through the Change Champions, the intranet and on Yammer.

TOKYO CALLING Rob Locker, Head of Operational Delivery for the North, shares his experience representing the FSA at a trade conference in Tokyo, during which he promoted our official controls and how we ensure red meat is safe to eat. I recently had the honour to (virtually) represent the FSA at a trade conference live in Tokyo to promote our role as a regulator, ensuring food is safe to eat and animal welfare standards maintained. The Agriculture and

Horticulture Development Board asked for our support as part of their work to develop relations following agreement in 2019 to allow British beef to re-enter the Japanese market. This was after a 20-year hiatus as a result of the BSE crisis. It’s hoped that the trade conferences taking place will increase opportunities for UK producers to export

beef, pork and lamb. The Japanese market has food safety at the top of their list of considerations, so it was great to be able to talk through the fantastic work we do in abattoirs and cutting plants, and highlight the roles of our Official Veterinarians, Meat Hygiene Inspectors and Auditors in delivering official controls and risk assessments, audit, sampling, testing and verifications. Definitely worth waking up for the 5am presentation slot and the challenge of finding a shirt and tie to wear!

FEATURE

YOU NOMINATE

YOU CHOOSE

WE ALL CELEBRATE This autumn we’re launching the FSA Awards giving everyone – wherever they work in our organisation the opportunity to nominate, choose and celebrate!

Keep an eye on the intranet for more information about how to nominate and how you can get involved on the judging panels.

The FSA Awards are designed to shine a light on the individuals or teams you believe have made a difference during this particularly tricky period. Each category has been carefully chosen to show off our people at their best and recognise the breadth and depth of the work we do. Most importantly, the winners will be chosen by colleague-led judging panels and celebrated by all of us. The prestigious Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year and Vet of the Year awards join the eight additional categories in the FSA Awards 2021. Nominations open on Monday 18 October which gives you a chance to think about the teams or individuals you think deserve recognition. To help you out, we’re giving you a sneak preview of the categories…

FEATURE

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD

This award is open to all, not just line managers. We are looking for individuals who may have led people through a particular programme, project, piece of work or confronted challenges in an effective way.

An award for the team or individual who has gone the extra mile to use or champion science, evidence or research to keep food and people safe and healthy.

HIDDEN HEROES DIGITAL INNOVATOR An award for the team or individual who has shown passion, purpose and flair with technology and/or data, finding innovative digital solutions to achieve something good or new for our organisation.

An award for the team that best embodies the spirit of the FSA and inspires pride within the organisation. This may include demonstrating technical excellence, exemplary project delivery or collaborative working across the organisation.

ABOVE AND BEYOND MEAT HYGIENE INSPECTOR OF THE YEAR An historic award, reintroduced in 2014 as the annual Tim Hooper Award for Meat Inspection in memory of Tim, our highly regarded colleague. This award recognises the achievements of a Meat Hygiene Inspector, who embodies our values and stands out as a shining example of the profession.

VET OF THE YEAR An annual award, currently in its third year, which recognises the achievements of a veterinary colleague who embodies our values and stands out as a shining example of the profession.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION An award for the individual whose exceptional work has championed diversity and inclusion and deserves recognition.

An award for the individual who has gone out of their way to deliver beyond expected outcomes while embodying our organisational culture. This may include consistently displaying a positive attitude towards getting things done or removing barriers in order to achieve goals and bring about change that benefits the whole organisation.

PUTTING THE CONSUMER FIRST An award for the individual or team who has put the safety and protection of people at the front of their work.

MAKING IT EASY FOR BUSINESS TO DO THE RIGHT THING This award is for a team or person who has gone the extra mile working directly with businesses or helping them behind the scenes so that the food and/ or feed industry continually improves food safety and standards for the consumer.

INITIATIVES

CULTURE WORKSHOPS This autumn you are invited to take part in culture workshops to help us better understand the culture we have in our organisation and how it can help us achieve our goals or even lead to negative experiences. Samantha Antoniou, Organisational Development Business Partner, says: “We’d love you to join one of our culture workshops to share your experiences of working here and help us understand the culture we

have. There is no right answer and no singular definition. There will be different experiences across different groups of staff – and we want to understand them all.” Workshops will take place virtually via MS Teams and colleagues will be encouraged to speak openly, with reassurance that only discussion themes will be recorded, not individual comments. Samantha continues: “Your feedback will be reviewed by BDG

and EMT to identify our current culture and define where we want to get to. This will include looking at our ASPIRE values and refreshing the behaviours we all want to live up to, as well as informing how we can best support the wellbeing of our colleagues.” If you’d like to attend one of the workshops, please speak to your line manager in the first instance. More information can be found on the intranet.

FSA SUPPORTS AUTISM EXCHANGE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME During the summer we joined the Civil Service Autism Exchange Internship Programme, run in partnership with Ambitious about Autism. The programme provides young autistic people with the chance to experience the workplace and gain valuable skills while also encouraging employers to recruit those with autism by providing education, support and advice. We secured placements for four individuals to work in NFCU, Knowledge and Information Management, Food Policy and Food Safety and Hygiene. Steve Smith, Head of Outreach in NFCU, says: “It’s been fantastic to be involved in the internship programme. From the beginning, it was clear for the experience to be beneficial, we needed to provide interns

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with responsibility, a degree of autonomy and the opportunity to contribute to business outcomes. “Isabella was matched with our team and made a great contribution, analysing responses from FBOs about our food fraud resilience tool. Her report has highlighted where we need to focus and progress next.” Isabella comments: “Working in the NFCU has been incredibly rewarding and informative. I was tasked to analyse and report on survey data which helped me develop my skill set. I’d had little experience of data analysis and the support and training I received really helped. “I also got to work with a wide variety of people which gave me a deeper understanding of what

the unit does as a whole, but also increased my confidence in communicating with others. The opportunity to develop these skills in a welcoming and supportive environment was really useful.” Liz Newland, Learning, Development and Talent Partner, says: “The scheme has been a great success and the learning for us as an employer has been invaluable. We’ve identified a number of ways we can be more supportive of neurodiversity, and we’ll definitely be supporting the programme again next year.”

CAMPAIGN

SPEAK UP

ANNUAL AWARENESS

CAMPAIGN In September we hosted our annual Speak Up campaign, with colleagues from across the organisation joining forces to put the spotlight on speaking up. The campaign featured a variety of activities focused on the topics of bullying and harassment, diversity and inclusion, security, whistleblowing and how to raise a concern. Sarah White, Area Manager in Field Ops, hosted a special ‘Mastermind’ -style quiz and colleagues shared their experiences of the speaking up process. Noel Sykes, our Head of Standards and Reward and the Nominated Officer for Raising a Concern and Whistleblowing, says: “The annual Speak Up awareness campaign is a cross-Government initiative and once again the FSA has participated using a blend of resources developed at the centre and in-house. It’s a really important message to keep reiterating – we

all have a part to play in ensuring everyone feels safe to speak up. “As Civil Servants there are standards of behaviour expected of us which are reflected in the Civil Service Code: honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity. Our campaign reminded staff of these values and gave information on speaking up on all aspects of FSA life. “I would like to especially thank those individuals who were prepared to provide testimonials about their experience of Speak Up. Hopefully this will encourage others to come forward in the future. “We also thank managers for supporting our campaign by using the discussion pack developed especially for the campaign in their team meetings.” Whether it’s a potential breach of the Civil Service Code or something you just want to check is right, there’s a range of channels for you to raise the issue. Take a look at our panel (right) for more information.

HOW TO SPEAK UP Your line manager should be your first point of contact, but you can also get in touch with: Noel Sykes Our Nominated Officer: noel.sykes@food.gov.uk Our Security Team For matters of security: informationmanagement @food.gov.uk A Trade Union rep They can raise a matter on your behalf or support you in doing so A member of the Bullying Harassment and Discrimination Network More information can be found on the intranet.

UNDER INVESTIGATION: ISSUE ACCESSING MOC An issue has been raised with accessing the MOC via Internet Explorer. We’re currently testing a fix and hope to release an update shortly which will allow you to access the MOC through Chrome or Edge, on your FSA mobile phone. As we continue to modernise how we work, a new project is also underway to improve and simplify the way the MOC is developed and accessed. We’ll share more details about this soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact James Ambrose, MOC Policy Lead/Technical Policy Manager. 09

VOICES

CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE Continuing our Voices series, Meat Hygiene Inspector Graham Clark explains why he became a Change Champion I’ve been a Meat Hygiene Inspector for more than 18 years and I’m based in Cluster 2, N1 in County Durham. I’m also the unannounced inspector for the region and I enjoy my job immensely. I’ve been an active member of the North Engagement Group for some time. Last year, I volunteered to become a Change Champion too. The Change Champion role was first created in 2020 and there are now 23 in place, representing all of the areas and clusters. We also have four regional leads. A key part of being a Change Champion is connecting those managing organisational change with Meat Inspection teams on the frontline. It’s really important that I capture feedback from colleagues

and make sure their concerns and ideas are shared in the right forums. This means that everyone has a say and gets their voice heard. Working with the Operational Transformation Programme is critical to this. Recently, I’ve helped contribute to a consultation paper which has been shared with the programme team and will now help shape the Future Delivery Model. My hopes are that Change Champions will be able to influence how the Meat Hygiene Inspector role evolves to ensure it expands and develops in line with transformation, new technology and modern practices. So far we’ve been encouraged to get involved in very open, honest and constructive conversations, which I’ve really enjoyed. I like

MIG DECOMMISSIONING COMPLETE The Meat Industry Guide (MIG) was formally withdrawn in January 2020 in a decision supported by the FSA Board. The withdrawal was made following the Cutting Plant and Cold Stores review recommendations. Since then, we’ve phased the decommissioning process to ensure colleagues using the guide were informed of what was happening.

James Ambrose, Technical Policy Manager, comments: “Now that the MIG and any reference to it has been removed from the MOC, our website, intranet and other publications, it’s important nobody relies upon it as an authoritative statement of the law or practice, or asks food businesses to follow its advice. If you have any downloaded copies of the MIG on file, including on MS Teams or Sharepoint, please delete them.”

communicating with others and hope we can help facilitate the work of other programmes and projects whose impact may be felt in operations. As meat inspection evolves, some inspectors will want to stay in the role, but for those who want to, there will be opportunities to branch out and do more new things. Already, this extends to unannounced inspection, animal welfare and dairy. But there are also the MHIs who have moved into something completely different elsewhere in the organisation. I think our capability and valuable skillset already put us in a great position for the future. If you have a question or a concern about how operational transformation will impact how we work, please get in touch with your change champion. We can raise questions and advocate on your behalf and keep you up-to-date with the latest information.

IN CONVERSATION WITH…

ANNWEN BELL This time we chat with Annwen Bell, our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Officer about her passion for providing colleagues with mental health support I joined the organisation eight years ago as a trainee Meat Hygiene Inspector. I’ll always remember my mam telling me that I’d be sitting in an office and people would bring me offal samples to check on a tray… I soon put her straight! My career path started to shift after I came back from maternity leave and took on a temporary role as Health and Safety Lead with the Health and Safety Unit. I worked alongside the team one day a week, supporting with plant visits and coordinating projects. It was around that time I enquired about doing some mental health first aid training and, following a conversation with Paul Dunn, Health, Safety & Wellbeing Manager, the idea of an FSA Mental Wellbeing Supporters Network was born. I had the opportunity to work on sourcing training, recruiting members and preparing the terms of reference which set out our ambitions for the network. In 2019 a permanent post was advertised with the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team. As much as I loved being a Meat Hygiene Inspector, I’d really found my passion and it was time for a new challenge. Thankfully, my application was successful and I joined the team full time. Even now though, my body clock is still on meat inspection time. I’ll often be up getting my emails done before 6.30am. My day-to-day role is split between working on all things wellbeing and working with the team to manage the Health, Safety and Wellbeing inbox and reviewing AIR, our system which facilitates incident reporting. As chair of the Mental Wellbeing Supporters Network, a big chunk of my time is taken up coordinating campaigns

and events to raise mental health awareness and support colleagues across the organisation. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the Network worked really hard to engage with colleagues in new virtual ways. One initiative I’m really proud of is creating the SOC Let’s Talk chat rooms on MS Teams. Here, colleagues can choose to join themed chat rooms to talk confidentially and share experiences with each other. We received so much positive feedback and I’m so glad they helped. I also collaborated on the moodchecker survey and collated responses which highlighted how everyone was feeling as the pandemic progressed. We used the data to direct topic discussions for colleague events and provide additional support to anyone who needed it. Another highlight has been being able to continue working in Field Operations to raise awareness of the support available and help break the stigma attached to mental health. One year, I recruited meat inspection teams to get involved in the Mental Health Foundation’s Green Ribbon campaign by posing for pictures, wearing the ribbons and sharing them on Yammer. That was really fab.

QUICK FIRE Q&A Describe your job in three words Caring, engaging and responsible. What’s been the best part of your role? Getting to talk to lots of people. What keeps you sane? Fab work colleagues. How would your colleagues describe you? Happy, enthusiastic and a chatterbox. What’s been your career highlight? Launching the Mental Wellbeing Supporters Network. What makes you proud to work for the FSA? Explaining to people what our organisation does to make sure the meat we eat is fit for human consumption. (Their faces are a picture when you tell them the ins and outs…!) Pictured: Annwen working as an MHI

LAST WORD

CIVIL SERVICE PEOPLE SURVEY 2021 You should have received your invitation to complete the annual Civil Service People Survey – please get involved and share your views so as an organisation, we can keep improving We made some great improvements in our scores in the 2020 survey, retaining our status as a high performing civil service department and achieving big increases in areas like leadership and managing change, my work and resources and workload. We have been making efforts in our teams across the organisation to prioritise three key areas: learning and development, inclusion and fair treatment, and bullying and harassment. We’re particularly keen to see how those efforts are reflected in this year’s results. COVID-19 is continuing to have an impact on all of us, so it is really important for you to use the survey to tell us about your experiences at work since the last Civil Service People Survey.

All responses are completely anonymous and you should feel confident that you can give your views safely, and that action will be taken on them. Please complete the survey using your team code which you should have received in an email on 30 September. If you have any questions or concerns about the People Survey, please speak to your line manager or email hr.business.services@food.gov.uk

COMING SOON… WINE TASTING EVENING The Wine Inspectors will be hosting a third wine tasting evening this autumn. Past events have proved highly popular with colleagues who have learned about red wine and Prosecco so far. Look out for details coming soon.

GET YOUR FLU JAB For the second year, we’re supplementing the NHS flu vaccination provision. Please take advantage and protect yourself this winter A free flu vaccine is already available to the following ‘most at risk’ groups: • People over 50, pregnant women, and those with some pre-existing conditions including at-risk under twos • Close contacts of people with weakened immune systems • All children who are aged two and three on 31 August 2021 • All school year groups up to year 11 • Health and care staff • People in residential care • Unpaid carers We will also fund the flu vaccination for colleagues who are fully employed and under the age of 50 and strongly encourage anyone eligible to take up the offer. Taking up the offer If you’re a permanent employee, under 50 and not eligible for a free NHS vaccination, go to a participating high street store or pharmacy and claim the cost back (up to a maximum of £13). Record the claim as a miscellaneous expense item and retain your receipt. Find out more on our intranet.

Do you have a story for Between the Lines? Email us at internalcommunications@food.gov.uk