Contents

Introduction
Achievements in 2008/09
Key issues for 2009/10
1.0Service Aims and Objectives.
2.0Corporate Information
2.1Objectives and plans
2.2Corporate Profile
2.3Organisational Structure
3.0The Food Service
3.1Demands on the Food Service
3.22008/09 Performance
3.22009/10 Work Programme
4.0Service Resources and Review
4.1Financial Allocation
4.2Staffing Allocation
4.3Staff Development Plan
4.4Quality Assessment
4.5Review Against the Service Plan
5.0Contact Details
Appendix A: Food Safety Sampling Plan
Appendix B: Food Standards Sampling Plan / 2
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Introduction

The Food and Safety Team, Community Protection Service, Middlesbrough Council produce the Food Service Plan. The plan details the Food and Safety Team’s delivery of food hygiene, food safety and food standards services.

The plan is produced annually and this plan provides a summary of the work and achievements of the Food and Safety Team in 2008/09 and the programme of work for 2009/10.

In delivering our services we aim to protect and improve public health and ensure a fair trading environment for food businesses in Middlesbrough.

The services we provide include:

  • A programme of food safety and food standards interventions. This includes inspections, hygiene monitoring and audit visits, surveys and information gathering activities to determine the overall standards of hygiene and trading practices in Middlesborough’s food businesses.
  • A programme of food, water and environmental sampling with analysis or examination.
  • Advice, education and training are provided to members of the public and food businesses in Middlesbrough. We aim to ensure consumers are provided with the information and advice they need so help them make informed choices about the food they buy or the places where they choose to eat.
  • Requests for service are responded to and complaints about hygiene, food safety and food standards are investigated.
  • Cases of food related illnesses are investigated.
  • A Food Hygiene Award Scheme

This plan is produced in accordance with the Food Standards Agency’s Framework Agreement on Local Authority Food Law Enforcement. It is reviewed annually and presented for Executive Member approval.

A copy of this plan is available to download from the Council’s website Printed copies are also available free of charge from the Food and Safety Team.

Achievements in 2008/09

  • Over 1000 visits were made to food businesses in Middlesbrough. This included food hygiene and food standards inspections, investigations into food safety, hygiene of food premises and the labelling and presentation of food, and to carry out food, water and environmental sampling.
  • The planned food premises inspection programme was completed and exceeded. 620 food hygiene and 350 food standards inspections were carried out.
  • Our Food Hygiene Award Scheme, introduced in March 2007 continued to improve hygiene standards and recognise the achievements of food businesses in maintaining and developing good hygiene standards. 78% of food businesses achieved 3, 4 or 5 star ratings. This included 170 five star food businesses. The star ratings are published at a website that received over 40,000 hits for Middlesbrough food businesses in 2008/09.
  • Good hygiene standards, consumer health issues and healthy living activities were promoted through a variety of events and campaigns. This included raising awareness of the risks of cross-contamination and poor hygiene during National Food Safety Week, working with children’s day nurseries and residential care homes to assess and develop nutritional standards, promoting healthy meals and healthy living to shoppers in Middlesbrough over the Christmas period and providing hygiene awareness training to people who work with children and young people.
  • A bid to the Food Standards Agency for additional funding to support our imported food control activities was successful and we were awarded a grant of £4,830. The focus of the sampling was to look at the presence of carcinogenic compounds in coffee and undeclared peanut protein (an allergen) in bakery products. All the coffee samples were found to be satisfactory and undeclared peanut protein was found in only two bakery products.
  • Working in partnership with the North East Chinese School and the Tees Valley Chinese Community Centre we delivered two specialist Food Hygiene in Catering training courses to Chinese food businesses in Middlesbrough.
  • The Food Standards Agency published a new Code of Practice for the delivery of food law enforcement services in June 2008. The code introduced a new approach and flexibility to the enforcement and advisory role we provide to businesses. We adopted new approaches by carrying out additional enforcement and support interventions aimed at non-compliant businesses and those achieving lower standards.
  • We developed a business support role to target the causes of non-compliance with food laws. 36 food businesses received assistance to improve hygiene standards and implement food safety management procedures.
  • 92% of food businesses in Middlesbrough were rated as ‘broadly compliant’ with food hygiene laws, in accordance with National Performance Indicator 184. This was mainly due to the continued presence of Officers to support businesses and the success of the Hygiene Awards Scheme.
  • We measured ourselves against National Indicator 182 – business satisfaction with regulatory services that recorded a level of 82% in 2008/09.

Key issues for 2009/10

  • We will continue to develop new approaches to securing compliance with food laws and an interventions strategy will be fully implemented.
  • We will monitor and record the effects of our service through National Performance Indicators ‘NI 182’ (business satisfaction with regulatory services) and ‘NI 184’ (percentage of businesses found to be broadly compliant with food law).
  • A new national monitoring system for local authority food safety and food standards activities was introduced in 2008. The Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring System (LAEMS) has significantly changed the way the we report our performance on food matters. Changes to the recording and reporting of activities and performance were made during 2008/09 and these will continue in 2009/10.
  • We aim to target the delivery of our Food and Safety Services in line with business needs and consumer priorities. In order to ensure we are achieving this we will conduct surveys of businesses and the public and set delivery priorities around the survey outcomes.
  • We will continue to promote healthy eating in Middlesbrough food businesses and research the potential for a nutrition award.

1.0Service Aims and Objectives

The aim of the Food and Safety Team is:

‘To secure the safety of food in Middlesbrough, protect the health of residents and visitors and contribute to the vitality of business through effective food law enforcement, directed education and accurate advice.’

This will be achieved by:

  • Targeting our resources at the areas of highest risk.
  • Assisting and facilitating compliance with the law and best practice.
  • Detecting and taking action against non-compliance.

Specifically, we will:

  • Maintain a staged approach to enforcement but target those businesses that fail to protect the health of consumers or operate unfair trading practices.
  • Provide support, training, advice and assistance to legitimate businesses with a view to helping them thrive and expand. Particularly, we will aim to assist small businesses, new businesses starting up and businesses moving into the area.
  • Provide information and advice to consumers to help them make informed choices about the food they buy and the places they choose to eat.

Our activities will include:

  • A risk-based approach to securing compliance with food laws through our interventions strategy.
  • Responding to all Food Alerts as directed by the Food Standards Agency
  • Inspecting food that is offered, exposed or advertised for sale to ensure it is safe for human consumption. Where we find food that is unsafe we will ensure its effective removal from the food chain.
  • Investigating all food poisoning outbreaks and complaints about food and the hygiene of food premises.
  • Registering all food businesses. We will be proactive in identifying new businesses and ensuring they are visited as soon as possible after opening.
  • Providing food hygiene training, advice and education to improve knowledge and awareness of food safety matters for both businesses and members of the public.

2.0 Corporate Information

2.1 Corporate Objectives and Plans.

The Food Service Plan is produced annually as part of the Corporate planning process. It is developed alongside and in harmony with the Health and Safety Plan. Both these plans feed into and support the Strategic Plan and Community Protection Service Business Plan.

In being creative in its approach to Food Law enforcement, the Food and Safety Team will continue to positively contribute to the community to help achieve the wider Strategic Plan aims of 1) Improving health and social care and 2) Promoting the economic vitality of Middlesbrough.

2.2 Corporate Profile.

Middlesbrough Council is a unitary authority in the North East of England. It has a resident population of 138,4001 in 59,508 households. The non-white population is estimated at 6.3%.

Covering an area of 5,390 hectares (20.81 sq. miles), it sits on the banks of the River Tees.

The majority of employees working in the town (89.2 %)(JSU 2004) work in the service sector.

1'JSU 2005/2006

2.3Organisational Structure.

Middlesbrough Council is a democratically elected body having 48 elected members from 23 wards. The key decision making body is the Executive Board, Members of the Executive Board are appointed by the Mayor. Cabinet members are individually responsible for key strategic areas. Councillor Barry Coppinger is the Executive Member responsible, providing political oversight for Food Law Enforcement and Councillor Brenda Thompson is the Executive Member responsible for Public Health and Sport and takes the political lead for public health related food issues.

The Management Organisation is lead by the Chief Executive, Mr Ian Parker. Council services are organised into five Service groups, each reporting to an Executive Director.

The constituent services each have a Head of Service, and may be further subdivided into teams and units.

The team is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Principal Environmental Health Officers Wayne Flowers and Philip Slack and is part of the Environmental Health Group led by the Environmental Health Manager Judith Hedgley. The Environmental Health Manager is also part of the Community Protection Service Management Team. Jeff Duffield is the Acting Head of the Community Protection Service.

The structure of the Food and Safety Team is shown below and this is detailed in the Resources section of the Plan.

The Community Protection Service is a component of the Environment Directorate. The Director responsible for Environment chairs the Departmental Management Team of which the Head of the Community Protection Service is a member.

The Departmental Management Team meets weekly and, on a quarterly basis holds management clinics to which the performance of the Environmental Health Group is reported and scrutinised.


3.0The Food Service

The Food and Safety Team is responsible for food law enforcement. This includes the law relating to food safety and food standards. The team is also responsible for a variety of other duties including:

  • Health and safety enforcement
  • Enforcement of smoke free laws
  • Farmed animal health, welfare and movement controls
  • Public health initiatives relating to the public, food businesses and workplaces

In carrying out our duties under food law, we are grateful to have the assistance of a number of other bodies and organisations to help us, including:

  • The Health Protection Agency (North East) who provide examination of food, water and environmental samples.
  • Tees Valley Food Liaison Group
  • The Tees Valley Metrology Laboratory who provide informal testing of foodstuffs for composition and labelling.
  • The Public Analyst and Agricultural Analyst, based within Durham County Council who provides formal analysis of foodstuffs.
  • Joint enforcement exercises are conducted with Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade and the Council's Licensing Unit.

The food service is delivered from Vancouver House, Gurney Street, Middlesbrough. The service is provided Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.30am and 5.00pm. An out of hours service operates to deal with infectious disease and other public health related emergency situations only.

The Council has formally adopted the Governments Regulatory Compliance Code and Enforcement action is taken in accordance with Community Protection Service Enforcement Policy.

The food law interventions strategy includes a mixture of inspections, audits, monitoring, sampling and verification visits. Advisory and public health promotion visits are made to inform and support businesses.

3.1Demands on the Food Service

The profile of food premises in Middlesbrough on 1st April 2009 was:

Food Safety

Band / A / B / C / D / E / UR / Total
18 / 45 / 451 / 184 / 413 / 33 / 1144

Food Standards

Band / A / B / C / UR / Total
15 / 369 / 723 / 37 / 1144

Animal Feeding Stuffs

There are no businesses in Middlesbrough to which this legislation applies.

Food Standards Agency: Category and Number of Food Premises

Food Manufacturers & Packers / 19
Food Distributors & Transporters / 22
Food Retailers / 316
Mobile Traders / 37
Restaurant/Caterers / 750

Visits to Food Premises

Food businesses may be visited at any reasonable time and without prior notification. Prior notification of an enforcement visit may be given to a food business operator if specific information is required for purposes of an investigation or audit. Any such notification will not be made where it may prejudice the desired outcome of a visit.

Service Requests

The Food and Safety Team receive and respond to a large number of service requests relating to the safety, composition and labelling of foodstuffs, hygiene of food premises, workplace health, safety and welfare and the health, welfare and movement of farmed animals.

The investigation of complaints is undertaken to:

i.)Ensure public health has not been put at risk;

ii.) ii.) to prevent a recurrence of a problem;

iii.) iii.) to prevent unfair trading practices and,

iv.) iv.) to take appropriate action to deal with food law offenders.

We will not seek financial redress on behalf of a complainant.

Imported Food Control

Middlesbrough Council is not responsible for imported food controls at border inspection posts, however, the Food and Safety Team has a duty to enforce imported food laws in relation to retail sales and use of imported foods by caterers. This is to ensure fair trade and protection of the food chain. In carrying out these duties, officers sample a wide variety of foods and examine food for sale during routine inspections.

Primary Authority and Home Authority Principles

Under the provisions of Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008, local authorities may agree to become a ‘Primary Authority’ for food businesses.

Although no businesses have requested the Middlesbrough Council to act as their primary authority, this may change in 2009/10 and the Food and Safety Team will respond to any requests for this status should they be made.

Food, Environmental and Water Sampling Programmes

The sampling and examination of food is an essential part of food safety enforcement. It enables us to gain an insight into the safety of food made and/or offered for sale in Middlesbrough.

The sampling and analysis of food is an essential part of food standards enforcement. It enables us to assess the quality and labelling of food to determine compliance with food standards laws and ensure consumers are not being mislead about the food they buy.

The sampling programme reflects a balance between;

  • Experience of previous year’s sampling results
  • Food premises that either manufacture or retail high risk products
  • Investigation of food complaints
  • Evidence of temperature control, food handling, processing practices and effectiveness of cleaning
  • Current food safety or standards issues and public perception issues.
  • National or local campaigns
  • Available resources

We maintain flexibility in our sampling programme to allow for additional sampling activity to be determined during the year as emergencies or any particular issues of concern arise.

Outbreak Control and Infectious Disease Control

We investigate confirmed cases of food poisoning and outbreaks of illness that may be associated with the consumption of food or water from Middlesbrough food premises. We will also assist the Health Protection Agency in the investigation and control of outbreaks of unknown origin.

3.22008/09 Performance

Visits

664 visits and 102 revisits were made to food premises in Middlesbrough.

Service Requests

1098 complaints and service requests were received and processed. 548 related to food hygiene, food safety and food standards.

They included;

  • 64 complaints about the safety of food were investigated
  • 34 complaints about the labelling or composition of food
  • 130 complaints about hygiene standards in food businesses
  • 206 requests for advice or information

Food Samples

  • 25 food samples were tested for compliance with labelling and compositional standards. Only 20% of samples analysed were found to comply with food labelling and food compositional standards.
  • 83 food samples were nutritionally analysed from nurseries, residential homes and local caterers. These samples were taken as part of joint work with the University of Teesside.
  • 391 formal samples including foods, food premises waters and environmental swabs were tested for compliance with microbiological standards. 80% of samples tested for found to be of satisfactory microbiological quality.

Our microbiological sampling programme in 08/09 included surveys on speciality seats from markets & delicatessens, egg mix from catering premises and ready to eat shelled nuts from retail premises. No significant problems were identified.

We also take samples as part of routine food hygiene visits. Samples taken include environmental swabbing to determine if cleaning and disinfection practices have been effective and identify any potential risks of contamination.

The foods standards sampling programme included samples from local manufacturers as part of national survey on salt, fat and sugar levels in food. Further funding was received from the Foods Standards Agency to analyse imported foods. Two products sampled contained significant levels of undeclared peanut protein.