All food establishments must meet minimum legal standards for food hygiene. The Food Control team within Regulatory Services carries out regular checks on all food premises to ensure the public is protected and that high standards are maintained.
Visits to premises are carried out, as far as possible, without prior notification and are programmed according to the degree of potential risk. This ensures that higher risk premises are visited more frequently than those in lower risk categories.
What happens during an inspection?
During an inspection, Officers will want to reassure themselves that:
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potential food safety risks have been identified by the business;
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that adequate controls are in place to prevent any problems;
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managers and food handlers have had suitable training;
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the condition of the premises and equipment is satisfactory.
To do this they assess and give a numerical rating to:
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Type of food and method of handling
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Method of processing
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Consumers at risk
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Vulnerable groups
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Compliance - hygiene/safety
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Compliance - structural
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Confidence in management
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Significance of risk
The risk rating helps us to identify the inspection interval and the action we need to take where practices or conditions are not satisfactory. Every attempt will be made to resolve the situation by informal means, but where poor conditions persist, or where there is a risk to public health it may be necessary to resort to formal action. This could involve either the service of legal notice, prosecution, or in extreme cases closure of the business. Our enforcement action is reasonable, proportionate, risk-based and consistent with good practice.
Soon you should be able to check hygiene ratings in Gateshead at www.food.gov.uk/ratings|