Q. I want to start a Food Business in Oldham - what do I have to do?
Contact the Food Safety Section (Tel no. 0161 770 4484) We can offer practical advice on food safety legislation and how it will affect your new business.
Anyone starting a new food business must register at least 28 days prior to opening. Registration forms can be obtained from the Food Safety Section. There is no charge for registration.
Q. Is it illegal for a shop to have out-of-date food on display?
It is against the law to display or sell food that has gone beyond its 'use-by' date. This is because 'use-by' dates are placed on highly perishable foods, such as cooked meat, which could cause food poisoning if consumed after the date code has expired.
Less perishable items, such as frozen food, cakes, cereals and canned food carry a 'best before' date. This code indicates when food is in its best condition. It is not an offence to sell food beyond its 'best before' date. However, it is against the law to sell food that has deteriorated to the extent that it has become unfit to eat, and this can occur with products that have gone beyond their 'best before' date.
Q. How can I make a complaint about an item of food I have bought?
You can telephone the Environmental Health Service on 0161 770 4484 and speak to a Food Safety Officer who will discuss the compliant with you and advise on the most appropriate course of action. Alternatively, you can visit Chadderton Town Hall, Middleton Road, Chadderton, where the Food Safety Team is based and put your complaint in person.
Q. The corner shop I use is not very clean or tidy - can the Council send someone round to inspect it?
You can telephone the Environmental Health Service on 0161 770 4484 and speak to a Food Safety Officer who will discuss the compliant with you and advise on the most appropriate course of action. Alternatively, you can visit Chadderton Town Hall, Middleton Road, Chadderton, where the Food Safety Team is based and put your complaint in person.
Q. What can Environmental Health Officers do about a case of food poisoning?
There are many forms of illness which have symptoms commonly associated with food poisoning. If the type of illness has not been identified the officers may ask the person suffering to consult their G.P. to arrange a test.
Where an individual is suffering from confirmed food poisoning it can be difficult to identify the source of the problem as it can be as much as 10 days from eating suspect food before symptoms are experienced. However, officers can offer general advice about possible sources of illness and ways to avoid becoming ill.
If there are a number of cases of illness, officers will investigate any possible common links to food, water or other sources and will take action to reduce the risk to other persons.
Q. What temperature should you store food at?
Products that require temperature control to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, for example dairy products, must be kept at or below 8oc, subject to certain tolerance periods and a general requirement to maintain food at a safe temperature.
It is good practice to set refrigerators to operate at a temperature between 1 and 5oc. Fridge thermometers can be bought quite cheaply and these allow you to monitor the operating temperature.
Contact the Food Control Section (Tel No. 0161 770 4484) if you have any queries regarding temperature control.
Q. What should I do if I find insects in my food?
Keep the food and insects and bring them into Chadderton Town Hall, Middleton Road, Chadderton, where the Food Safety Team is based. A Food Safety Officer will look at the complaint and decide the most appropriate course of action. The product and insects should be kept in a suitable lidded container or in a bag without holes to prevent the insects escaping. The product may need to be refrigerated if it cannot be brought for examination within a day.
If you are unable to bring the product and insects into Chadderton Town Hall, you can telephone the Food Safety Team on 0161 770 4484 and arrangements will be made for a Food Safety officer to visit and give advice.
Q. I live above a restaurant and the smell of cooking is often so bad in my flat it makes me feel ill - what can I do?
This could be dealt with in both the Food Safety Section and Pollution Control Section. The former will be interested to see if there is a fault with the internal extraction system that is causing cooking odours to permeate the building. If there is, then they can use various methods to improve the situation. The Pollution Control use different legislation to deal directly with odour control in order to abate statutory nuisance. Pollution Control can be contacted on 0161 770 4502, Food Safety can be contacted on 0161 770 4484.
Q. How do I avoid food poisoning during barbecues (BBQ) and summer events?
The main points to consider are:
Cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods. Assume all raw meat could be contaminated, but if it is cooked adequately, this contamination will be reduced to levels that wont make you ill. If raw meat touches food that does not require cooking e.g. salad, this food becomes dangerous as any bacteria present will not be killed. Keep all raw meat totally separate, either use different work surfaces and utensils, or clean regularly.
Temperature control. Keep all high risk foods chilled in a fridge until needed for cooking or to be eaten. Don’t let cooked food sit at room temperature, either chill it down or keep it hot.
Proper cooking. Properly cook foods like sausage and chicken. This should be done slowly to make sure the middle is cooked as well as the outside. Just because it looks burnt on the outside does not mean it is cooked throughout. It is a good idea to partially cook high risk foods in the oven and finish them off on the BBQ to get the flavour.
Q. How does the Council keep a check on the food sold in the Oldham?
All food premises are visited and inspected on a rolling programme by officers of the food safety and trading standards sections. The intervals at which these visits are carried out are determined by the risk the business presents to its customers. The risk is calculated by taking into account the type of food handled, the number and vulnerability of customers and the standards of food hygiene and safety observed.
Sampling programmes are also in place to check for harmful bacteria, non-permitted ingredients and to see if ingredients match the product label. If a food does not comply it may be removed from sale and action taken against the seller or manufacturer.
If a food has been found to be unsafe elsewhere in the country and a national food hazard warning is received, officers will check that appropriate action has been taken with any of that food on sale within Oldham.
Q. Does the Council provide hygiene training for people working in food businesses?
The Council currentlyoffers the CIEH level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering training course and workshops to introduce the food safety management system, Safer Food Better Business. We can also direct you towards other accredited associations within the Greater Manchester area. Training is available at a range of prices, at different times of day, and given in various languages to suit most people.
Q. Does Oldham have a food sampling program?
Yes it does. The food safety section takes part in local and national surveys when specified foods are sampled and tested for harmful bacteria or for levels of bacteria which may not be harmful but do indicate poor handling or storage conditions. The food standards section carries out sampling to look for other harmful substances or to see if the ingredients match the label.
Q. Do staff that handle food have to be trained in food hygiene?
Yes they do, but the extent to which they are trained depends on their duties and associated risks in the food business. It is advisable for most food handlers to be trained to at least a basic level. It may be possible for a highly trained manager or head chef to train food handlers themselves as long as it is documented.
Q. Do all butchers' shops need to be licensed?
Butchers' shop licensing was withdrawn across the UK at the end of 2005. Since 1 January 2006, all retail butchers are now subject to the new EC hygiene regulations that apply to all other retail and catering businesses. These regulations are very similar to the existing hygiene rules, but include a new requirement to operate HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point)-based food safety management procedures.
Q. Can the Council close down food businesses which don't comply with hygiene regulations?
Yes it can if conditions within the premises are very poor and pose an imminent risk to health, However, a Food Safety Officer has a range of options available when dealing with a food business. These options range from offering verbal advice, advice through advisory letters, legal notices, formal cautions, prosecution or (in the case of imminent risk to health) immediate closure. The action taken depends on the seriousness of the offence, the business’s past history and the Officer’s confidence in management. Whatever course of action the Officer chooses, it must always be proportionate to the offence and in line with the Food Safety Enforcement Policy.
Q. Can I run a food business from my home?
Yes you can, but if you are handling or preparing food at home as a commercial business, your premises and business operation must comply with food safety legislation. This may require structural alterations to your domestic kitchen. Food poisoning is a miserable and potentially dangerous experience and it is your responsibility to make sure that your food does not make anybody ill.
Q. How often do food businesses have to be inspected by Environmental Health?
The frequency of inspections is determined by the food safety risk associated with the business; the higher the risk, the more frequent the inspections. Officers take into account the type of food being made, how many customers there are, how safely and hygienically the food is handled, how confident we are that owners will comply with Officer’s requests and demands and finally, what condition the kitchen structure is in. High risk food businesses are inspected at least every 6 months, but the majority of businesses will be inspected every 12 to 18 months. Very low risk businesses may be contacted every 3 to 5 years.
Q. I have become ill after eating at a local restaurant - what should I do?
You should consult your G.P. as soon as possible so he can assess your condition. Your G.P. will probably ask you for a stool sample as this is the only way to be sure what form of food poisoning you may have. The information from this test may help officers link your illness to something you have eaten.
People often wrongly assume that the last meal eaten was the cause of their illness. In fact the most common form of food poisoning is caused by a bacteria which can take between 2 and 10 days to show symptoms. This can make it very difficult to identify the food at fault unless a number of people have similar symptoms after eating food from the same source.
There are also many cases of food poisoning which originate in the home. A recent Food Standards Agency survey has shown that people are much less likely to complain about food served at a friends home than at a commercial premises even when that food is not cooked properly.
If you are concerned about hygiene standards at a food premises in the borough or if you know of other people who have been ill after eating there you should contact the food safety officers on 0161 770 4484.
Q. Who investigates cases of infectious disease?
G.P.s have a responsibility to report any cases of specified infectious diseases to the “Proper Officer” of the council. These specified illnesses include conditions as diverse as food poisoning or suspected food poisoning, Typhoid and Paratyphoid fevers, Tuberculosis, Meningitis, Anthrax and Rabies.
Responsibility for investigation is shared between Environmental Health Officers and the Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit.
In general terms the council deals mainly with food poisoning type illnesses, due to their expertise and knowledge of local food businesses. The Health Protection Unit provide medical skills to assist in identifying and controlling outbreaks of illness and take a lead role in investigations where the cause is not food related.
The Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit can be contacted at:
Floor 7B
Peel House
Albert Street
Eccles
Manchester M30 0NJ
Telephone: 0161 786 6710