Evaluating the determinants of public and private costs of local food control

• The study assessed food control resources of local food control units and restaurant business operators.
• The units’ resources varied widely, with large differences in the number of control objects per personnel work year.
• The units that were found to have high costs had high costs regardless of the measurement unit.
• Larger units had higher costs per work year and per control object, and no economies of scale were found.
• Less food control revenue was collected from control objects in units with a high number of control objects per inspector.

The level of food safety is determined by the actions of the consumers, the food business operators (FBOs) and the authorities that undertake official food control. Food control requires substantial investments by the FBOs as well as by the society, and these investments should be proportionate to the benefits obtained. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of economic resources currently invested in food control by the local food control authorities and by the restaurant business operators (RBOs). We also analysed the determinants of the variation in costs and evaluated the implications of the variation for the efficiency and equity of food control. Our results revealed a large variation in the costs, which in relation to the RBOs may in some cases imply risk-based targeting of food control, whereas in relation to the local control units, it may simply lead to unequal treatment of the control objects. The personnel resources (work years devoted to food control) of the local control units varied widely, and there were large differences (at most fourfold difference) in the number of control objects per personnel work year. The units that were found to have high costs had high costs regardless of the measurement unit (cost per work year, cost per control object, cost per inhabitant). Furthermore, larger units were found to have higher costs per work year and per control object. Less food control revenue was collected from control objects in units with a higher number of control objects per inspector. The challenge of management increases with the unit size, and focusing on the management skills and the organizational functionalities of the control units seems necessary.