Food Safety Service

Service Objectives

1. Ensure Compliance with Food Standards

Using the Council's licensing and regulatory powers to ensure that all businesses involved in the preparation, sale, distribution or handling of food comply with food legislation and the requirements of Codes of Practice issued by the Food Standards Agency.

2. Minimise Spread of Infectious Diseases

Minimise the spread of incidents of infectious diseases including incidents of food poisoning.

 

Scope of the Service

1. The Food Safety Service consists of food premises inspection, food inspection, food sampling, investigation of food complaint, and the investigation of complaints relating to food safety or food premises, responding to food safety incidents, food premise licensing/approval.
2. Officers who provide this service also provide the Health and Safety Service and the Licensing Service.  Most also take part in the Out of Hours Service.  All of these functions impact on the Food Safety Service.
3. In order to make best use of limited resources a Commercial Premises Inspection Strategy is being developed.  The purpose of this is to ensure that when officers visit commercial premises for a specific reason, eg, licensing, they also tackle any health & safety or food safety issues during the one visit.  A copy of this strategy is available on request.
4. The provision of this service includes advice, education and the provision of advice on good practice in food safety matters to businesses, organisations and the public.
5. The service is also responsible for investigating appropriate causes of virulent communicable diseases including food poisoning and in consultation with the Consultant Physician in Public Health and the Health Protection Agency, in taking appropriate measures to prevent and minimise the risk of spread.
6. To ensure continuity and a proactive approach, officers within the team inspect all relevant building control applications and planning applications to ensure compliance is achieved at an early stage with the appropriate legislation.

Service Standards

1. To undertake risk based food premises inspections as required by the risk category of the business.
2. To inspect all new food premises within 1 month of opening.
3. To respond to all requests for service within 2 working days.
4. To respond to all notifications of food poisoning within 1 working day.
5. To undertake a food sampling programme.
6. To respond to building regulation consultations within 10 working days.

For further information on any of the above please contact us at regulatory@fareham.gov.uk or by telephone on 01329 236100.