An updated food service plan has been adopted by Northumberland County Council which sets out how its public protection team will ensure the quality and safety of food in the county is maintained. 
 

There are 3894 food premises in Northumberland which are subject to food safety and food standards regulation and are inspected at intervals based on the risk category of the premises. 

The percentage of food businesses in Northumberland with a food hygiene rating of satisfactory to very good (3 to 5 stars) is 98.6% which continues to compare favourably with both the national average of 96.9 % and regional average of 98.1%. 

In addition, there are more than 1700 businesses, mainly farm premises, which are also subject to inspection to ensure hygiene, storage and labelling requirements are met. 

The new Food & Feed, Safety & Standards Service Plan 2023/24 sets out the programme of work for the year ahead. It outlines the inspection programme, targets, enforcement actions and how staffing resources will be deployed so they have the most impact. It also reflects on the achievements of the previous year. 
 

Northumberland County Councillor Gordon Stewart, Cabinet Member for Looking after our Communities said: 

“Our public protection team work very hard so we can have confidence in a high level of food safety and hygiene when it comes to food. 

“This service plan is produced on an annual basis to show a transparent, fair and equitable process for all businesses involved while we deliver this important service.” 

All aspects of a food business are inspected including how food is stored, prepared, produced and served. The labelling, description and composition of the food on display and being sold is also checked. Fridge and freezer temperatures are checked, cleaning regimes verified, allergen controls monitored, and pest and waste control arrangements reviewed. Inspectors also require proof of staff food hygiene training and written food safety procedures. Businesses are then given a food hygiene rating, if eligible. 
 

As well as programmed inspections, the council’s Public Protection team provides a reactive response to a wide variety of food safety, food standards & animal feed safety issues. These include complaints about food which does not meet legal standards, or which is thought to have caused illness, or premises deemed to be unhygienic.  

Enforcement action is taken, if necessary, but the council’s priority is to work with businesses to continue to raise standards. 

The teams work in partnership with Public Health England to investigate notifications of infectious disease outbreaks. In 2022/23 a total of 125 infectious disease investigations were carried out. They also investigated 142 complaints regarding food hygiene, 115 complaints about food premises and 69 complaints about food composition, labelling or quality. 
 

In addition, the team work on the verification of the local food initiative Produced In Northumberland, carrying out annual checks with onsite audits.