The Council is required to inspect all businesses in its area that serve, prepare or sell food. The inspections are done by Environmental Health Officers and technical staff. These Enforcement Officers are qualified and authorised to carry out Inspections of Food Businesses. Inspections are conducted in accordance with a Food Law Code of Practice| issued by The Food Standards Agency| which sets out the manner in which the inspections are carried out.
All types of food establishments are subject to inspection:
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Restaurants, cafes and canteens
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Hotels and guest houses
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Pubs and clubs
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Take-aways
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Caring establishments – hospitals, care homes, childcare facilities
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Schools and colleges
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Mobile food units
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Community centres and home caterers
Food establishments are inspected for two aspects of food safety:
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Food hygiene
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Food standards
We prioritise inspections where there is a higher ill health risk.
You can see the results of our food hygiene inspections on a new web page called Scores on the Doors
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 want to reassure themselves that:
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potential food safety risks have been identified by the business;
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adequate controls and systems are in place to prevent any problems;
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managers and food handlers have had suitable food safety training ;
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the condition of the premises and equipment is satisfactory.
Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory and do not comply with the law, the officer will initially make every attempt to resolve the situation by informal means. However, where poor conditions persist or where there is a risk to public health, it may be necessary to use formal action. This could involve either the service of legal notice(s), prosecution, or in extreme cases closure of the business.
The Council has approved a Food Control Enforcement Policy to ensure consistency in making decisions about the action an officer can take to deal with unsatisfactory situations.