Chiltern

Wednesday 24 July 2002

30 April - 2 May 2002

The audit demonstrated that the Authority had a good general level of conformance with the Food Law Enforcement Standard and was providing an effective and balanced level of service to the food businesses and consumers in its area.

The Authority was very active in Food Safety Promotion encouraging different sectors of the local community to participate. However, there is a need to ensure that enforcement is in accordance with legislation and the relevant guidance and that all relevant information on food businesses, including the actions taken and the history of compliance, is recorded and is easily retrievable.

The Authority’s Strengths:

Food Safety Promotion - There was evidence of a strong commitment by the Authority to the promotion of food safety as part of a wider drive on general health promotion issues. A proactive approach had been adopted particularly with the introduction of the Chinese Chef of the Year Award and the partnership with the Buckinghamshire Chinese Association, the Food Safety Award Scheme and other initiatives.

Key Areas for Improvement:

Inspection Records - Records were inadequate in a number of areas especially officers’ assessments of compliance and the method of recording appropriate information. In particular there was a lack of records in relation to the approval status of its Approved Premises. Records are important to provide information for subsequent inspectors, to enable appropriate decisions to be taken and to allow effective internal monitoring to be undertaken.

Service of Improvement Notices - There were deficiencies in the Authority’s drafting and service of improvement notices, highlighting a need for additional staff training in this area and an increased level of monitoring. Formal enforcement actions must be carried out in accordance with relevant legislation and Food Safety Act Codes of Practice.