Frequently Asked Questions

Visits from the Council

Why does Environmental Health visit my food premises?

Environmental Health Officers may visit your premises for a number of reasons:

to carry out a routine food hygiene inspection
to investigate a complaint (e.g. consumer complaints about an item of food, hygiene standards or unsafe food handling practices)
to sample food, or test the cleanliness of food contact surfaces
to investigate allegations of food poisoning arising from your premises

Officers will look at the way you operate your business to assess if you are complying with the law. The options for enforcement after this assessment range from informal advice and guidance to prosecution and/or closure

What can I expect when an Environmental Health Officer carries out an inspection?

The visit will usually be unannounced during your opening hours. They do not have to make an appointment and have the right to inspect your food premises at any reasonable time.

The officer is not there to 'catch you out' but will provide advice on good practice during the inspection.

The officer will give you a hand-written report on the inspection before leaving and will write to you, to confirm what you need to do.

Where obvious contravention of the law are found, which must be put right immediately, an officer can serve you with an improvement notice. If there is an imminent risk to health, officers can serve an emergency prohibition notice that forbids the use of the premises. This notice must be confirmed by the court.

In serious cases a prosecution could be instituted. If this is successful the Court may impose fines and a prohibition on the premises.

The Food Standards Agency gives further advice on this subject.

What will happen if an officer finds problems with food hygiene standards at my business?

This depends on the seriousness of the problem. Minor contraventions will result in the inspector advising on how best to rectify the situation. More serious matters will be dealt with more formally; this may range from the service of statutory notices to possible prosecution for very serious offences.

The Food Safety Team operates within an enforcement policy that sets out the range of factors and actions likely to be taken to ensure that business comply with legal requirements

Can the Council close down a food business which doesn't comply with hygiene standards?

Yes, but conditions in the business have to pose a serious risk to the public before this can happen. Examples include a serious pest infestation, very dirty premises or contravention’s of legislation.