Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Food Hygiene

• Staff and Training - Knowledgeable, competent and motivated staff at all levels supported by an Investors in People training programme.
• Enforcement Action - The service was making use of the full range of enforcement powers available to take effective action when necessary.
• Liaison Arrangements - There was an impressive level of productive liaison with neighbouring authorities and other relevant bodies to improve enforcement standards and ensure
  consistency across the region.
• Database - The food premises database was accurate and reliable and was maintained by effective documented data control procedures.
• Internal Monitoring - The service had an effective documented management monitoring procedure in place for food hygiene inspections. This covered the preceding 5 years.
• Food Safety Promotion - The service was engaged in a wide range of initiatives aimed at promoting food safety.

Food Standards and Feeding Stuffs

• Food Complaints - The Authority had a clear and helpful complaints procedure. Records of complaints were generally well kept, retrievable and complete and in all the cases
  examined, had been appropriately investigated.
• Food Sampling - There was a policy and programme for 2000/2001, the objectives of which had been achieved, and it was evident that follow-up action on incorrect samples had been appropriate and effective.
• Documented Procedures - Considerable time and effort had been put into the development of documented procedures. Interviews with officers indicated that these were generally well
  understood and followed. Procedures were considered to be clear and helpful, and provided the basis for a consistent approach to enforcement activities.

Food Hygiene

• Document Control - The service's documented policies and procedures were not subject to a systematic and routine process of review. Several important reference texts were not readily available to officers and copies of superseded documents had not been removed from use.
• Improvement Notices and Formal Cautions - Official guidance had not been followed on all occasions when taking enforcement action.
• Food Sampling - Some food samples with unsatisfactory laboratory examination results did not receive effective follow-up action. The service confined itself to notifying businesses of the outcome and thereafter placed responsibility on proprietors, without further action to ensure the problem was resolved.
• Record Keeping - the records for some areas of enforcement activity, particularly food complaints and butchers licensing, were insufficient to ascertain whether actions had been taken in line with relevant legislation and official guidance.

Food Standards and Feeding Stuffs

• Level of Inspections and Risk Ratings - The Authority was not carrying out inspections at the frequency set out in Code of Practice No. 8: Food Standards Inspections. The system for
  risk rating food premises was based upon a standard risk for the type of premises and not specifically on the risks associated with food law enforcement.
• Inspection Records - File records were insufficient to make an assessment of the inspection activity undertaken and to determine that appropriate action had been taken in respect of any non-compliance found.
• Monitoring - The Authority had arrangements in place for monitoring performance against targets for food law enforcement activity. These were mainly in respect of quantitative aspects of performance, whereas the monitoring of the quality and consistency of the enforcement work was less formalised.