Become a Food Competent Certifying Officer (FCCO)
How to get and maintain a Food Competent Certifying Officer (FCCO) qualification.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
FCCOs are Certifying Officers who certify export health certificates (EHCs) for certain exports of animal products to other countries. They are authorised by APHA and must be employed by a local authority or Food Standards Scotland.
FCCOs have competencies to carry out official controls under the Food Act. They must be:
- deployed by a competent authority, such as a local authority (LA) or Food Standards Scotland (FSS)
- qualified to perform official controls and other official activities in accordance with the Official Controls Regulation (2017/625) and any other relevant rules
All FCCOs are authorised under the policy for authorisation of FCCO in Great Britain by APHA (ET209). You must read this document before becoming an FCCO and refer to it while you’re authorised.
How to become an FCCO
FCCO eligibility
To be eligible to register for the FCCO training, you must have a recognised qualification that shows competency to carry out official controls according to the Food Law Code of Practice for the country in which you are authorised to act. Examples can be found in the policy for authorisation of FCCO.
If you do not have any eligible qualifications, you can request a FCCO eligibility check (ET210) if you’re studying for the Higher Certificate in Official Controls (HCOC) and have completed both:
- the Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection
- the Higher Certificate in Food Standards Inspection
Register and enrol in the training
Improve International delivers all FCCO training. If you’re eligible you can register for the Official Controls Qualification (OCQ)(CO) - FCCO using the code ‘21-FCCO-Reg-AP’.
Your employer will need to confirm your eligibility before you can enrol.
Get authorised by APHA
To get authorised as an FCCO you must work for a LA or FSS and hold a valid OCQ (FCCO) certificate.
Authorisation can take up to 10 working days. If you’re successful, APHA will notify you by email and send your FCCO stamp to your employer’s address.
You must not carry out any FCCO work until you receive confirmation of your authorisation by email and your official FCCO stamp by post.
Maintaining your qualifications and authorisation
Your authorisation will be suspended if you do not maintain your qualifications. The FCCO qualification must be revalidated every 4 years by completing an online course and exam. Improve International will send you reminders of your revalidation deadlines by email.
If you do not revalidate by the deadline your authorisation will be suspended and you’ll have 6 months to revalidate it before it expires.
You or your employer will be responsible for meeting the costs of revalidation.
Extensions and exceptions for revalidation
You can apply for an extension or exception if you cannot complete the OCQ(CO) - FCCO revalidation training within the deadline.
Extensions and exceptions can only be considered in certain situations. Details can be found in the TR588 application form.
Request extension or exception to OCQ training requirement (TR588).
Export health certificates (EHC) online
All FCCOs must register for the certify an export health certificate service.