Agenda item

The Committee were presented with the Food and Safety and Health and Safety Service Plan 2023/24 Report and asked to approve the service plan for 2023/24. The Plan contributed to the 5 Year Strategy and the Councils 2023/24 Annual Plan.

The FSA (Food Standards Agency) mandated Local Authorities to have food safety service plans, ensuring adherence to national standards. Approval from the member forum was advised for transparency and accountability. LAs (Local Authorities) and the HSE (Health and Safety England) enforced health and safety laws, with the Council responsible for making enforcement arrangements.

In Surrey Heath, the food safety service is responsible for the inspection of 704 food businesses, remaining static compared to the previous year (706 22/23). This was due to an increase in home-based businesses during the lockdown (19/20: 624 premises).

In 2022/23, the Food and Safety Team:

1.    Conducted 433 visits to food premises, including programmed inspections and advisory, sampling, and intelligence gathering visits.

2.    98% of food premises achieved a Food Hygiene Rating of 3, 4, or 5 (Satisfactory, Good, or Very Good).

3.    Investigated 52 complaints about food or food premises and handled 125 cases of foodborne infectious diseases.

4.    Took 25 food samples for laboratory analysis for bacterial standards.

5.    Served 7 formal notices for hygiene improvements under the Food Safety Act.

6.    Closed a restaurant following a significant food poisoning outbreak, with a pending prosecution for a hygiene offences.

7.    Obtained £10,000 in imported food grant funding from the FSA and conducted checks on imported food, identifying non-compliance with labelling regulations and the presence of pesticides and banned substances.

The headlines for the Health and Safety (H&S) service are as follows:

1.    The Council enforces H&S for approximately 1400 businesses in the Borough, covering offices, retail, hospitality, and leisure services.

2.    The H&S service provided compliance advice, investigated complaints and accidents, conducted proactive visits, and took necessary enforcement action.

3.    Resources were focused on high-risk activities with poor control measures, aligning with HSE requirements.

4.    In 2022/23, the Health and Safety Team:

·         Conducted 313 interventions, including handling 24 complaints/enquiries and 36 workplace accident notifications.

·         Implemented a proactive gas safety enforcement initiative in catering premises, contacting 184 businesses, issuing 32 formal notices for unsafe appliances and unqualified engineers.

·         Collaborated with event organizers for 24  public events, ensuring effective risk management and chairing multi-agency Safety Advisory Group meetings for larger events.

5.    Priority work in 2023/24 focuses on high-risk areas outlined in the HSE National Code, including electrical safety in hospitality settings, inflatable amusement device usage, and attractions involving animal contact.

Members discussed how the plan supported local businesses, and the process of improving businesses who had low FSA scores. Businesses that fell short were provided with guidelines on how to meet requirements and a timeline for doing so. Re-visits were carried out to ensure compliance and these visits would be an opportunity for businesses to request help with meeting requirements. Further visits to improve the Food Hygiene Rating were subject to a fee of £195.

Businesses were not obligated to display to consumers their Food Hygiene Rating and were not required to self-report violations of Food Safety regulations but some premises had contacted the Council for advice.

RESOLVED that the Food Safety and Health and Safety 2023/24 Service Plan be approved.