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Hygiene in food outlets


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The Food and Safety Team are responsible for enforcing food safety law, inspecting food premises, providing food hygiene training and investigating food complaints. This includes food poisoning outbreaks and giving advice to people seeking to set up a new food business.

Our aim is to ensure the safety of food at all stages of production from storage to distribution to sale.

To help our customers in making informed choices about where they eat or shop for food, we are a part of a national food ratings scheme in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.

If you have concerns about a food safety issue please report it to us.

How to report a food hygiene issue

We deal with food hygiene matters in Tunbridge Wells, if your complaint is about a food business outside the borough, please contact the relevant local authority.

You can report a food hygiene issue online, you can contact us direct by phone, or you can visit The Amelia Scott.

You may remain anonymous, but we are unable to take formal action without your name and address.

Report a food hygiene issue

What happens after I report an issue?

We carry out a thorough investigation of your complaint. This may include an inspection of the food establishment and a check to ensure that they are doing all that they should to ensure the food they provide is safe. The investigating officer will contact you to advise you of the findings and to let you know what action has been taken.

Labelling

Labelling issues are dealt with by Trading Standards at Kent County Council.

Food safety ratings scheme

The food hygiene rating scheme is a Food Standards Agency and local authority partnership initiative allowing anyone to look up food hygiene standards for a business.

Under the scheme, each outlet is given a rating based on their last food hygiene inspection. Each inspection includes an assessment of the structure, hygiene and practices within the business and an assessment of our confidence in the management of food hygiene.

Food hygiene ratings

Inspected premises are awarded one of the following ratings:

  • very good - high standards of food safety management and fully compliant with food safety legislation
  • good - food safety management with a high standard of compliance with food safety legislation.
  • generally satisfactory - broadly compliant with food safety legislation, but where some more effort might be required
  • poor - more effort required to meet all legal requirements
  • major improvement necessary - poor level of compliance with food safety legislation with much more effort required
  • urgent - improvement necessary and a general failure to comply with legal requirements, with little or no appreciation of food safety

The score is a measure of food safety and not a guide to food quality. As part of the scheme, businesses are given a window sticker and certificate showing their rating, display is voluntary.

All ratings are published at the Food Standards Agency website, along with further information about the scheme.