Food Standards Inspection
Inspection of Food Businesses
All food businesses are inspected according to a national system of priority rating based on risk.
Enforcement Strategy
The City Council has adopted the principles of good enforcement in respect of standards, openness, helpfulness, complaints, proportionality and consistency.
These include:
- confidentiality, courtesy and advice on compliance
- a clear distinction between requirements and recommendations
- a statement of the legal basis for any requirements
- information re appeal and complaints procedures
Environmental Protection Services
Environmental Protection Services has responsibility within the Glasgow City Council area for Building Control, Consumer and Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Cleansing and Scientific Services.
Food Safety
Enforcement Responsibility in terms of the Food Safety Act 1990
To inspect all food premises to assess compliance with the relevant legislation pertaining to Food Standards
What are Food Standards?
The legal requirements covering the:
- quality
- composition
- labelling
- presentation
- advertising of food
- materials and articles in contact with food
What is a Food Standards inspection?
An inspection carried out in order to establish whether the legal requirements covering the quality, composition, labelling, presentation and advertising of food and of materials or articles in contact with food are being met.
Inspections
A programme of inspections is carried out according to a priority rating system at frequencies of 1, 2 and 5 years according to the perceived risk. The Food Standards inspection may be carried out at the same time as the Food Hygiene inspection which relates to the practices and conditions in the premises.
Additional Inspections may be undertaken
- in response to complaints about food, eg foreign bodies
- for routine sampling of food
- to confirm action regarding contraventions of food standards or labelling legislation noted
during the programmed inspection
- where this Service acts as Home Authority
Home Authority
Means the authority where the relevant decision making base of a business is located.
Sampling
Routine sampling of food and drink is carried out within premises in the City of Glasgow. A sampling plan is prepared to ensure that a minimum of 6 samples per 1000 population are taken for analytical and bacteriological examination each year from the various types of food premises.
Compliance
Inspections are undertaken to assist business in complying with the Food Safety Act 1990, and relevant Regulations.
Where an Officer is confident that prompt compliance will be secured an informal letter will be sent confirming the points identified and/or agreed during the inspection. The letter will also identify the positive aspects of compliance. In some cases however, formal action may be necessary.
Prosecution
Prosecution is only considered appropriate in cases such as:
- failure to correct a serious potential risk to health
- flagrant breach of the law
- a history of offences
In general terms prosecution is not the preferred action of the Service.
Complaints
Complaints should be made to the Head of Food Safety.
Advice
Advice on compliance is available free of charge, however, the proprietor of the business will, in the end, require to decide how to resolve problems in the way most appropriate and practical to his/her particular business. In some cases the proprietor may require to seek specialist advice from another external provider.
For further information and advice please contact:
Head of Food Safety
231 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1RX
Phone: 0141 287 6539/40
E-mail: food.safety@eps.glasgow.gov.uk
Office hours:
Monday - Thursday: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Friday: 9.00am - 4.00pm
Food Standard Inspection Leaflet
This leaflet can be downloaded in PDF format