Food Premises Inspections
We carry out regular checks on all food premises to ensure the public is protected and that high standards are maintained.
All premises concerned in the manufacture, preparation, storage, distribution or retailing of food, including market stalls, delivery and mobile vehicles, are required, by law, to register with us and to notify us of changes.
Food registration
Any new business must register at least 28 days before it opens and obligation to register rests with the owner or proprietor of the business.
It is an offence for an existing food business not to be registered and failure to do so may result in prosecution.
There are exemptions from registration for certain types of food premises and you should contact us if you feel you may be exempt.
Registration is free of charge and the register is available for inspection at these offices during normal office hours.
For a registration application form, contact us 0n 01202 261700 or by email.
For more information on registration under the Food Safety Act 1990, see the Food Standards Agency 
website
Visits
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.
What do we inspect?
During an inspection, we will want to reassure ourselves that potential food safety risks have been identified by the business, and that there are adequate controls in place to prevent any problems.
We will also look at the training of managers and food handlers to ensure that it is suitable, and they will check that the condition of the premises and equipment is satisfactory.
What action can we take if a premise is not up to the required standard?
Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory, every attempt is 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 businesses can request an advisory visit by e-mailing or telephoning us.
Customers who are concerned about the standards in a food business can request an investigation, again, by e-mailing or telephoning us.
Hazard analysis also known as HACCP [pronounced Hassup] (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point)
A hazard analysis is a way of thinking logically about what might go wrong with the food being handled and what you must do to ensure it is safe for customers. It is based on food safety practices familiar to all trained food handlers.
Hazard analysis helps to prevent problems rather than reacting to them after they have happened.
Hazard analysis helps
- ensure food is safe for customers to eat
- is a legal requirement for all food businesses
- can form part of a defence if the proprietor of a food business is taken to court. It may help the defendant to demonstrate that he/she has exercised diligence by having arrangements in place to try to prevent an offence being committed.
The Food Standards Agency have introduced "Safer Food, Better Business" which is a system designed to enable smaller food businesses to comply with the hazard analysis requirement. A copy of the Safer Food, Better Business pack can be ontained free of charge by telephoning 0845 606 0667 or e-mailing foodstandards@ecgroup.uk.com
Useful link: Food Standards Agency
Directgov