Council to target poor performing food businesses through six-week project (From Wiltshire Times)

Council to target poor performing food businesses through six-week project

6:10pm Tuesday 21st February 2012 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council is to offer intensive support to poor performing food businesses in a bid for them to improve.

About 30 businesses, which could include pubs, restaurants and takeaways, will be targeted by the council’s food safety team.

The businesses concerned will be those that have a history of problems raised during past inspections, have been served legal notices and have been given a zero or one star food hygiene rating.

Officials are drawing up a list of the businesses they would like to support during the six-week initiative.

It is the first time the council has offered support above and beyond what it normally does and officials hope it will prevent businesses from closing and facing possible legal action.

Cllr Keith Humphries, Cabinet member for public protection, said: "We would always prefer to support and help businesses rather than have to go down the last resort of enforcement. This project will go a long way to ensuring the public is enjoying higher quality standards of food.

"It is crucial that businesses selling food to the public are meeting with the legal standards of safety."

The food safety team will target the specific needs of each business and encourage them to take up further training.

About 10 officers from environmental health and public protection will be involved in the project, which has been funded from existing budgets.

Joanne McClay, one of the council’s food and safety managers, said: "We have approached a small number of businesses we have recently inspected to see if they want to be involved in this scheme and the response has been very positive. We want to work with those businesses where we think they will learn something and they are keen to make improvements.

"Businesses have to have documented food management systems. This covers what the hazards are of producing that food, how they prepare it, how they cook it safely and how it is stored. We look at how they ensure the food is prepared and cooked safely for customers to eat.

"To carry out the practices safely and to comply is not the most expensive thing to do, but it’s about having the knowledge and understanding of how to achieve that."

The council will also be launching a new food hygiene rating system in April where business will be rated zero to five and the results will be available on the Food Standards Agency website.