Food Premises Inspection
Information on the powers we have
Food Premises Inspection.
Officers from the Food Safety Team have powers to enter and inspect food premises at all reasonable hours. They do not have to make an appointment and will usually come without advance notice during normal opening hours during the day, evening and weekends.
The frequency of the visits will depend on the public health risk posed by the business. This is calculated using National Guidelines scoring the premises on the following criteria:
- Type of food prepared, method of handling and whether a high risk process is used (e.g. canning or cook chill processes)
- The number of consumers at risk and whether they fall in to a high risk group (e.g. young children, pregnant women, the elderly or immune-comprised)
- Compliance with legislation and codes of practice
- Confidence in management on site
Inspection intervals range from at least every six months (highest risk) to at least every five years (lowest risk).
Powers of the officers.
Officers have the power to enter premises and also to take samples, photographs and inspect records. They may take any food that they suspect to be unsafe. As a result, they may serve statutory notices, recommend prosecution or impose prohibitions on the business or equipment. If there is an imminent risk to health, Officers may serve an Emergency Prohibition Notice, which forbids the use of processes, premises or equipment. A court must confirm this notice within three days of the date of service. In most cases we would usually prefer to help businesses to comply with the regulations and trade successfully. Any action will be subject to the criteria contained in the enforcement policies of the Council and Food Safety Team.
The Inspection.
The Officer will introduce themselves, produce identification and explain why the inspection is being made - whether it is following a complaint or a routine inspection.
The Officer would normally like to discuss issues with the Proprietor/Owner/Manager of the business or the person responsible for food safety on site. During the visit, the Officer may look at the condition and structure of all of the food rooms, take temperature readings of equipment, watch food being prepared, and question staff and/or the proprietor of the business relating to food handling practices and procedures. The officer will check that any paperwork relating to suppliers, temperature records, hazard analysis, cleaning schedules, refuse contracts and pest control records etc are up to date and being completed correctly.
After The Inspection.
After inspecting your premises, the Officer will discuss the findings of the inspection, i.e. the legal requirements and recommendations, with a suitably responsible person i.e. Manager/Owner/Proprietor or other person responsible for food safety on site. The Officer will also be happy to discuss/answer any queries that you may have. The officer will discuss and agree time scales within which the work should be completed. A follow up visit may be necessary to check that any matters requiring attention have been suitably addressed.
It is essential that you contact the inspecting Officer (or the Food Safety Manager in their absence) if work cannot be completed within the time period agreed. If you have problems you should discuss them with the Officer (or the Food Safety Manager in their absence) before the time is up.
Contact details will be included on any correspondence sent to you.
Approval of meat, dairy and fish products plants.
The Authority is required to inspect and approve any food premises defined as meat, milk or fish product plants under the Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1994, the Minced Meat and Meat Preparations (Hygiene) Regulations 1995, the Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and the Food Safety (Fishery Products) Regulations 1998. The Authority has seven of these premises which require in-depth inspections and detailed record keeping and if you wish to find out more details about these requirements the please e-mail: environment@lbhf.gov.uk
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