Inspections
Officers from the Councils Environmental & Licensing Service
carry out routine unannounced food hygiene inspections of all food
premises registered within South Staffordshire.
There are currently over 800 food business premises registered with
us. The purpose of the inspections is to ensure that food
businesses are operating in compliance with the Food Hygiene
(England) Regulations 2006 and other associated regulations.
How frequently are inspections undertaken?
The frequency of inspection for each
individual business is determined by a number of factors which
include:
- type of food prepared at the premises
- the number of customers supplied
- the track record of the business
- confidence in management
- compliance with food hygiene and safety
procedures (food handling practices)
- structural repair and cleaning
The frequency of programmed or routine
inspections can range from a minimum of every 6 months for high
risk or poorly performing businesses through to every 2 years for
low risk businesses. Additional revisits may also be made in
between these routine inspections to check that required works have
been completed to a satisfactory standard.
If the food business is deemed to pose a
minimal risk, for example if very little low risk food produced or
handled on the premises, it may considered unnecessary for an
inspection to be undertaken. However, an officer will usually
make an initial visit to discuss the business operation
further.
What can I expect from an inspection?
Officers carry out these visits or
inspections at a reasonable time and will always show their
identification or warrant card when they arrive.
All Officers are qualified Food
Safety Officers, during an inspection they will look at how
you operate and manage your business and identify any potential
hazards and risks to the safety of the food you produce and/or
sell, they will also make sure that your business is complying
with the requirements of food safety law. Our officers do this by
not only looking at the structure of the premises, standard of
cleaning and food handling practices etc. but also by referring to
any food safety documentation you may have and asking questions of
both the proprietor/s of the business and staff
members.
Officers will give you verbal feedback
throughout or at the end of the inspection and will provide a
written summary of the inspection before they leave your premises.
The officer will also write to you detailing the findings of the
visit and any works that you are required to undertake. Most
businesses will also receive a Rate My Place star rating which is
determined by your level of compliance. For further information
regarding the Rate My Place scheme, please click on the link
below.
Additional visits may be made to the
premises to investigate complaints or to provide advice.
In addition to food hygiene, officers may also
carry out a food standards or health and safety inspection
during their visit.
Officers will always have regard to the Code
of Practice issued by the Food Standards Agency when undertaking
food hygiene inspections.
What action can officers take following an inspection?
Officers can take the following 'Enforcement
Action' in order to protect the public during or following an
inspection:
- Write to the business formally asking for
works to be carried out and any non compliance with legal
requirements to be corrected. Officers will also provide 'best
practice' advice and recommendations.
- Carry out one or more revisits to ensure that
required works have been undertaken.
- Serve a 'Hygiene Improvement Notice' if there
is serious or ongoing non compliance with the law. The Notice
will set out exactly what needs to be done and a deadline by which
the work must be completed.
- Take samples and photographs of food,
documentation and structural conditions.
- Detain or seize suspect foods.
- Serve a 'Hygiene Emergency Prohibition
Notice' which prohibits the use of certain processes, premises or
equipment if there is deemed to be an imminent risk to health (for
example an active rodent infestation).
- This notice has immediate effect and must be
confirmed by a court.
- Take evidence with a view to prosecution, in
serious cases.
- Proprietors of the business will always be
advised of the course of action that has been decided by the
officer and the reasons for that decision.
It is the policy of South Staffordshire
Council to secure compliance with food safety requirements through
informal means, wherever possible. However, our main concern is
protecting public safety. Therefore where there are serious issues,
or, where the proprietor has previously failed to respond to
informal requests, formal action will be considered.
Links
For further information regarding Rate My Place - the star
rating scheme for Staffordshire, click here
Contact
Environmental Health &
Licensing
Telephone: (01902) 696253
Fax: (01902) 696219
Email: env.commercial@sstaffs.gov.uk