Food Safety For Businesses

Food Safety Officers within the Commercial Services team aim to ensure that food and drink products sold in Wychavon are safe to eat or drink.

We routinely inspect businesses to check that hygiene standards are maintained and to encourage improvements. There are almost 1000 food businesses in the district, ranging from mobile burger vans to international manufacturers. Inspections are usually unannounced and a report is sent afterwards explaining the law or good practice that should be followed.

We regularly take samples of food from around the district to check that it is safe to eat.

We investigate complaints relating to food such as:

• Food that is unfit to eat or contaminated
• Poor food hygiene at businesses handling food
• llness that may have been caused by food

Owners of food premises are required to register with Environmental Health. For details about this please visit our Register of Food Premises page.

Publication of information on Food Premises inspections

Local authorities have a duty to inspect food businesses in their areas to ensure that food hygiene standards are maintained. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 has introduced a requirement for local authorities to provide inspection information to the public on request.

‘Scores on doors’ is a scheme whereby the hygiene ratings of food businesses given by inspectors are presented to the public. The aim of the proposed ‘scores on doors’ scheme is:

• To ensure that those food businesses achieving consistently high standards of food hygiene are publicly recognised.
• To provide consumers with a user-friendly way to access the information they need to make informed choices about where to eat in the area.
• To encourage food businesses where deficiencies are found to improve their standards of food hygiene leading to greater food safety.

Our scheme was launched on 28th January 2008. See full details here.

If you have any queries on the scheme please contact us by email as below or on 01386 565015.

Starting A Food Business

If you have a food business or are thinking of starting one up visit our Starting a food business pages or if you wish to talk to a food safety officer for advice, please call 01386 565015 during office hours.

Farm Shops

If you own a farm shop please see our information for Farm Shops from Worcestershire Trading Standards  (42.23 KB)

Useful Factsheets

Downloadable factsheets on food safety for businesses:

• Cleaning of soft ice cream machines  (103.38 KB)
• Collecting a faeces specimen  (111.43 KB)
• Cooked Meat  (116.48 KB)
• Food sampling - short version  (116.08 KB)
• Food sampling - extended version  (119.07 KB)
• Fridge temperature control  (115.47 KB)
• Thermatag data loggers  (118.11 KB)
• Vacuum Packed and Modified Atmosphere Packaged Foods  (114.69 KB)

What you can expect from us

Click here to see how quickly we aim to deal with your enquiries

For more information contact:

Commercial Services Section, Environmental Services,
Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs, WR10 1PT

Telephone: 01386 565015 - between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday
Fax: 01386 561826
Email: environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk