Food hygiene rating scheme

Food hygiene inspection

Food safety officers need to ensure that food in our area area is safe and fit to eat. We have a proactive programme of mainly unannounced food hygiene visits to food premises which include:

  • Manufacturers
  • Shops
  • Cafes
  • Restaurants
  • Pubs
  • Canteens
  • Take-aways
  • Home-caterers 
  • Mobile food vans

Inspections are prioritised according to the degree of risk, which ensures that higher risk premises are visited more often than those in lower risk categories.

During an inspection we ensure that you have identified food safety risks and that there are adequate controls in place to prevent any problems. We will also look at the food hygiene training to ensure that it is suitable, and will check that the condition of the premises and equipment is satisfactory.

Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory we will try 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 take formal action. This will always be explained clearly to you and will be in line with our enforcement policies which are available upon request.

After every routine inspection your premises will be given a new rating under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.