Food and Safety Services
Food Safety and Health and Safety Inspections
Food and Safety Officers carry out regular checks on all
food premises and numerous workplaces in the district to ensure
that both employees and public are protected and that high
standards are maintained.
Visits to premises are carried out, as far as possible, without
prior notification and are priority programmed according to the
degree of potential risk. This ensures that higher risk premises
are visited more frequently than those in lower risk
categories.
During an inspection, officers will want to reassure themselves
that potential food safety or health and safety risks have been
identified by the business, and that there are adequate controls in
place to prevent any problems. They will also look at the training
of managers and employees to ensure that it is suitable, and they
will check that the condition of the premises and equipment is
satisfactory.
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.
Food Complaints
The investigation of complaints concerning standards in food
premises, unfit or contaminated food is a further aspect of the
Team's work. These are usually resolved by giving advice to the
proprietor or manufacturer, but in certain circumstances formal
action may be taken, either in the form of a formal caution or
prosecution. For more information on what to do if you have a food
complaint, see the
Food Complaints page.
Registration of Food Premises
Most food businesses are required to be registered with the
Local Authority. Information on how to register can be obtained by
contacting the Food and Safety Officers.
Investigation of Food poisoning and Food-Borne Illnesses
The Section is involved in the investigation of outbreaks of
food poisoning and other infectious diseases, which are notified by
GPs, hospitals etc. This work is aimed at controlling and
preventing the spread of these illnesses.
Food Sampling
The Section undertakes a comprehensive programme of
microbiological food sampling. Any unsatisfactory sample results
are carefully investigated with the intention of giving advice on
improvements to manufacturing techniques, or systems of handling
and storage.
Accidents
Notifiable accidents are assessed and in many circumstances
investigated by the team.
Contact Food and Safety
Officers