Food Safety

The safety of food is vital to each and every consumer. It is also vital to each and every producer, processor, manufacturer and retailer. Consumers must have confidence that the food they buy and eat will do them no harm. The importance of consumer confidence cannot be underestimated for business upon whom rests the main responsibility for ensuring the protection of its customers.

Food hygiene legislation

New food hygiene laws were applied in the UK from 1 January 2006. They affect all food businesses, including caterers, primary producers (such as farmers), manufacturers, distributors and retailers. How the legislation affects you will depend on the size and type of your business.

Our Aims

To ensure that every business in our District provides food that is safe to eat, free from contamination and has been prepared in a clean and hygienic manner.

How We Do This

• Acting on food alerts issued by the Food Standards Agency.
• Maintaining an up to date register of all food premises in the district.
• Inspecting all food premises in the District, including ensuring that there is an adequate Food Safety Management System in place.
• Approving all premises manufacturing meat, fish, dairy, or egg products in the District.
• Investigating all complaints about food sold from premises in the District.
• Monitoring the movement of unfit food into and out of the District and seizing, detaining and destroying as necessary, any food found upon inspection to be contaminated or unfit.
• Sampling food sold from premises in the District
• Providing advice and guidance to businesses and consumers and generally promoting food safety.
• Facilitating food hygiene training.
• Investigating reports of food poisoning and gastroenteritis.
• Monitoring the District for imported food.