Food business inspections

During an inspection officers will undertake a range of checks including;

• Reviewing the content, suitability and implementation of your HACCP or other food management system
• Assessing the effectiveness of food safety controls for high risk processes
• Inspecting the condition of your premise and the standard of cleaning
• Assessing your food handling processes for example, cross contamination controls
• Assessing the level of food hygiene knowledge you and your staff demonstrate

More information about these inspections is available through Food Standards Agency (FSA): Food safety inspections and enforcement.

During an inspection officers will undertake a range of checks including;

• Assessing any food labels for compliance with legal requirements
• Sampling foods you make or sell  against descriptions and legal requirements
• Checking the ingredients of foods you make or sell to ensure they are safe
• Assessing the systems you have in place to ensure the safety of food
• Assessing that you have steps in place to monitor traceability and recalls

Further information can be found on the Food Standards Agency (FSA): Business guidance website.

Once you have registered  your food business through New food business advice, we aim to inspect your business within 28 days from the day you start trading.

After your  inspection your business is risk rated which will be used to determine how often we carry out a routine food hygiene inspection. Elements of that rating are used to determine your food hygiene rating that is published by the Food Standards agency.

Visits to premises are carried out, as far as possible, unannounced and are prioritised according to the degree of potential risk.

Low risk businesses will be inspected least frequently and high risk most frequently.  

Normally an inspection will be unannounced unless you operate from your own home.  

Where is it is not possible to carry out an unannounced inspection an officer may make an appointment.  

Officers carry out unannounced inspections to ensure they get an accurate impression of how the business operates. 

The time between inspections varies from six months for the highest risk businesses to two years for lower risk businesses. For some very low risk businesses, the interval between inspections may be longer than two years.

All registered food businesses will normally receive an inspection, however very low risk businesses may receive a self-assessment questionnaire.    

A self-assessment questionnaire allows the Food & Safety Team to assess your food handling activities, any specific food safety advice you might need and whether an officer inspection is an urgent priority. Completing the questionnaire may negate the need for an officer to conduct a physical inspection of your food premises.

Completing the questionnaire may negate the need for an officer to conduct a physical inspection of your food premises. Only businesses which are inpected by visiting can be issued with a food hygiene rating.

Advisory visits, as they are known, are only carried out in exceptional circumstances. In most cases advice can be provided over the phone where it is not available on the internet.

Enforcement  in non-compliant food businesses will be carried out in accordance with the Council's Public Protection Enforcement Policy.  Public Protections Enforcement Policy.