Published: Friday, 21st April 2017
A recent Which? report has placed Cannock Chase in the top 10% of Districts in the UK for food hygiene performance.
Cannock Chase was ranked 30th out of 386 local authorities for food hygiene performance and is also the top performing District in Staffordshire and West Midlands.
Which? Compared all local authority areas in the UK according to:
- The percentage of high to medium risk food establishments (i.e. A,B,C) which were satisfactorily complying with hygiene laws
- The proportion of food premises which had been inspected and rated
- The percentage of planned interventions and inspections carried out
Food establishments are split into 5 categories from A to E, depending on the level of risk to the public posed by that type of establishment. A business rated as highest risk (A) should be inspected at least every six months, whereas a low risk business (E) may only be checked every 3 years.
All food businesses should be inspected to check that they meet hygiene requirements. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for co-ordinating enforcement of checks delivered by Local Authorities around the country. As part of this work, the FSA collates data on enforcement activities from each Local Authority and publishes it annually.
Cannock Chase currently has 826 food premises in the District, of which approximately 639 are rated 5 (very good), with inspections of new and existing businesses ongoing.
Mr Chen from Wing Shun in Rugeley has worked alongside Cannock Chase Council to maintain good food hygiene, by creating videos of good practices, changing and finding his own solutions to the issues observed. He has created an action plan and his own solutions for handwashing techniques and improved cleaning and disinfection techniques. Following a recent inspection he has maintained his ‘very good’ rating.
David Prosser-Davies, Food, Safety & Licensing Manager at Cannock Chase Council said “We are delighted to be amongst the best performing local authorities in the UK for food hygiene. This reflects the hard work of both our officers and our food businesses. Residents and visitors can have full confidence in hygiene standards when eating out in Cannock Chase. We would encourage everyone to look out for the black and green rating sticker, which should be displayed in the window of all food businesses.”
Mr Chen said “I am very proud to have retained the 5 rating again for the second time. I have enjoyed working with the Council and have learnt new techniques that have helped make things easier for me. I have found the Council to be very helpful and believe that they understand my business better.”
Ratings can be viewed by going online at www.ratemyplace.org.uk and http://ratings.food.gov.uk/