Council targeting food businesses to raise their game (From Wiltshire Times)

Council targeting food businesses to raise their game

2:28pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Latest News

Wiltshire Council is launching an initiative to get poorly performing food businesses to raise their standards.

Throughout February and March the council’s food safety team will be visiting businesses to offer them intensive support designed to help them improve.

This project, which has been funded from existing budgets, will target around 30 businesses across the county.

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

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

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

Businesses being targeted will include those that have a history of problems raised during past inspections, have been served legal notices and have been given low food hygiene ratings.

The council hopes that by supporting business where possible it will prevent them from failing to meet minimum standards and face possible legal action and/or closure.