We inspect all places where food is prepared and sold within the High Peak to make sure that the UK and European Community food safety law is complied with. This includes checking that there is an effective food safety management system in place, and hygiene and structural standards are high.
All food businesses are required to have written food safety management procedures in place based on the principles of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP). The Regulations are flexible, recognising that complex and full HACCP is not appropriate for all types of food businesses. The food safety management system should reflect the risk and depends upon the size of the food business.
The Food Standards Agency have developed Safer Food, Better Business – a tool to help small food businesses comply with the new Regulations. Please see our web page below for further details. The Food Standards Agency sets out how often food business should be inspected based on risk, in their Code of Practice.
You can also obtain food safety advice in other languages. (External website**)
Safer food, better business (SFBB), is a food safety management pack to help small catering businesses comply with the food hygiene regulations. The rules require food businesses to have written food safety management procedures in place. This is a tool for you to use, but you must be aware that it can only help you comply with the law if it is kept up to date – you will need to periodically check for any changes on the Food Standards Agency website.
The new European Community food safety laws specify certain safety standards for the processing and sale of food. It is an offence for anyone to process or sell food which is harmful to health. The Regulations also place an obligation on businesses to ensure that their activities are carried out in a hygienic way and that good structural standards are in place. Running a food business means that you have a particular responsibility to protect the health of your customers.
From the 1st January 2006, food businesses are required to have in place written procedures based on the principles of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) (Article 5, EC Regulation No. 852/2004) (External website**). The Food Standards Agency produced pack, Safer food better business is a tool that will help food businesses to meet this requirement.
The Regulations are flexible and the written procedures need not be complex but should be proportionate to the food safety risks present and the size of the business.
The industry guides are to be updated and give advice to food businesses on how to comply with food safety regulations. They are officially recognised by Government. The guides currently include the following titles:
The guides are published by the Chadwick House Group Ltd. You can order them online at www.cieh.org (External website**) or by calling 020 7827 5830 or 020 7827 9928.
Food safety risk assessment also known as food hazard analysis or (HACCP), requires thinking logically about what might go wrong with food prepared for sale and what must be done to ensure it is safe for customers. The principles of hazard analysis are based on food safety practices that food business proprietors and food handlers should already be familiar with.
Certain types of food businesses, which handle specific foods, are subject to approval by this Authority. These include, those handling dairy products, meat products, fishery products, egg products, minced meat and meat preparations.
From 1 January 2006 butchers licensing is no longer a legal requirement. Butchers however must have a food safety management system in place based on HACCP principles and must comply with EC Regulation 852/2004 and in some cases 853/2004 (approved processes). See the links on this page.
Article 5, EC Regulation 852/2005 requires food business operators to put written food safety management procedures in place based on the principles of HACCP. The Regulations allow for flexibility, meaning the number of documents and records required will depend on the nature and size of the food business (Article 5, 2(g)).
Food business operators must register their establishments, under Article (6) of EC Regulation 852/2004. There are no specific exemptions from the requirement to be registered.
However, the need for registration does not apply either to primary production for private or domestic use, or to domestic preparation, handling or storage of food for private domestic consumption.
You only need to register undertakings that take place on a frequent basis, not infrequent activities, such as one-off events. If you are not sure whether you need to register, we advise that you do so and allow the council to work out whether you are exempt.
Food business operators should register their food business establishments with the local authority at least 28 days before food operations begin. Provide details of activities undertaken and contact details for the food business operator.
Registration is free and cannot be refused.
Once you have registered your food business you must tell us about any significant changes to the food business. Significant changes would include:
You will need to download a food premises registration form, (27KB) or obtain one from the Council - call us on 0845 129 77 77 or 01298 28400 between 8am and 8pm, send a SMS text or fax (numbers on the left), or email us. Sign the completed form and send it to the Environmental Health Department (address on the left).
Registered premises will be regularly inspected by the Council to ensure that they comply with hygiene and safety requirements. You only need to register the premises once - unless the ownership, address or nature of the business changes.
The Council inspects premises where food is prepared and sold, to ensure that they comply with hygiene and safety requirements.
There are some 1,100 food businesses in the High Peak, all inspected regularly to ensure that good standards of hygiene and safe working practices are maintained. Businesses which represent the highest potential risk to consumers, will be visited at least twice a year.
To monitor the quality of food on sale, we examine a total of 120 food samples each year.
The Food Safety Team also investigates all reported cases of food poisoning, explores complaints about unfit food, and monitors the safety of private water supplies.
We also promote healthy living programmes, such as no-smoking areas and the provision of healthy eating options in restaurants and cafes.
For further information on food poisoning and other infectious diseases, please call us or visit the Health Protection Agency website (External website**) or the NHS Direct website (External website**).
We will respond to complaints within three working days. In urgent food complaints or food poisoning incidents, we will endeavour to respond within one working day.
We will give clear advice and provide written details of action we have taken, in response to your complaint. Where adequate standards are not being maintained, improvement will be required, and will be enforced by law, where necessary.
The Food Standards Agency issues food alerts to alert local authorities and the public to national or regional problems concerning food.
Once a food alert has been issued, food businesses normally remove the affected product from sale voluntarily. If a food company does not voluntarily withdraw the product, then enforcement action may be taken.
The latest food alerts can be viewed on the Food Standards Agency website (External website**).
From time to time, problems occur during the production and distribution of food. These may be caused by production faults, contamination or sabotage. To prevent harm to consumers, food hazard warnings are issued to alert people to the problem.
Upon receipt of a food hazard warning, we notify all relevant local businesses either personally, by telephone, by letter or press release, depending on the urgency of the warning. Enforcement action will be taken if necessary to remove the hazardous item from the food chain.
You may register here to be notified each time a food hazard warning (External website**) is issued by the Food Standards Agency.
If you have some of the food included in a food hazard warning, you don't always have to contact us. There will be details in the warning - it may be sufficient to dispose of the food or return it to the place you purchased it from. If in any doubt, do not use the product and contact us for further advice.
The RIFE report gives results of a nationwide monitoring programme for radioactivity in food and environment. This monitoring has been conducted by the Environment Agencies and the Food Standards Agency. High Peak Borough Council is required to hold a copy of the report for the public to view or download:
You may also view these electronic documents on the computer terminals at our reception offices in Buxton, Chinley and Glossop.
The monitoring programme assesses the levels of radioactivity and the amount of radiation the public is exposed to near 39 nuclear sites in the UK. The results make up the RIFE report which collates the findings from these programmes. The report enables the Government to check radiation exposure of people and food produced in the UK.
**Please note: High Peak Borough Council is not responsible for the content of any external websites.