Food hygiene and food standards inspections
We will inspect your business at times to make sure the food is safe to eat, and that it is labelled and packaged correctly.
We will inspect without notice, unless you run your business from home.
By law, if you run a food business you must have a plan for managing food safety, and you must base that plan on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).
The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Safer Food, Better Business is a good example of a system for managing food safety based on the HACCP principles. It is suitable for many types of business.
What happens when we inspect your food business
When we inspect, we will investigate:
- Your buildings, their layout and structure
- Your methods and management
- General hygiene
- Cross-contamination (transfer of bacteria from one food item to another)
- Temperature control
- The type of food you serve and how you make it
- Any special cooking methods
- Whether you describe the food properly, including any allergens (ingredients which could cause allergic reactions such as nuts).
And there will also be checks to see that your staff are properly trained and that you keep proper records for your business.
