We aim to ensure that, in the Waveney District, safe food is produced, food poisoning and infectious diseases are kept to a minimum and places of work are safe.

We do this by:

Registration of Food Premises

Registration of premises used for a food business (including market stalls, delivery vehicles and other moveable structures) is required by law. Find out more about registration here.

Inspection of Food Premises

During an inspection, Officers will want to reassure themselves that potential food safety risks have been identified by the business, and that there are adequate controls in place to prevent any problems. They 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.

Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory, every attempt will be 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.



How often are premises inspected?
We routinely inspect (as far as possible, without prior notification) all food premises in the district to ensure that they are clean and hygienic. The frequency with which a premises is inspected depends on the level of risk posed by the food business. Each premises is given a risk score every time it is inspected. High-risk premises are inspected at least every six months. There is a sliding scale for all other premises ranging from being inspected every one to every five years.

Investigation of Food Complaints

We investigate complaints about unsafe food that has been bought in the district. Examples would include glass or mould in food. During the investigation we try to ensure that none of the contaminated food is still on sale. We then investigate further in order to discover whether the law has been broken and what action, advice or enforcement should be taken.

Food Sampling

Food for sale in the district is routinely sampled and sent away for laboratory analysis to ensure that it is safe to eat. We will also send food that is the subject of a complaint for analysis where this can assist in identifying the problem.

Investigation of Food Poisoning and Other Infectious Diseases

Which food poisoning cases are investigated?
All cases of food poisoning and certain other cases of infectious diseases are notified to the Food & Safety Team by either local GP's or hospital laboratories.

What exactly does the Council do?
The Council carries out investigations into possible sources of and reasons for the infection. Infections such as salmonella and e.coli are investigated by contacting the affected person and information gathered about foods consumed and activities prior to the onset of illness. The investigation aims to prevent others from being affected and to determine whether the law has been broken.

Food and Safety Training

• providing food hygiene & health and safety training courses
• keeping you informed about food safety issues by publishing food news twice a year
• carrying out inspections of premises where food is produced or sold to check compliance with food safety law.
• promoting good food hygiene and safe working practices
• investigating complaints about the condition of food for human consumption
• carrying out bacterial sampling of food
• investigating food poisoning incidents and infectious illnesses

Health and Safety

• carrying out inspections of work premises to check compliance with health and safety law
• investigating workplace accidents and complaints
• We routinely inspect businesses in the district for which the Council have responsibility under Health and Safety (Enforcing) Regulations. This is to ensure they are safe to work in. The frequency of inspections depends on the level of risk posed by the business.

Enforcing the Law

• we provide free help and advice, on request, to assist businesses in complying with legal requirements
• we use legal notices where appropriate to raise standards in commercial premises
• where appropriate, prosecute those who do not comply with food or health and safety legislation
• The Council aims to carry out its enforcement activities in a fair and proportionate way. The Environmental Services have an Enforcement Policy that describes how enforcement decisions are made.

You can obtain a copy of the Enforcement Policy by contacting us:

Telephone: (01502) 523194
Email: food@waveney.gov.uk

Help Us to Help You

Please:-

Notify us quickly (by e-mail if you wish) when you have a problem with food hygiene or safety and bring all food which is the subject of a complaint to us as soon as possible.