Agenda item

R Connolly presented the Food Service Plan report and asked Committee for any questions.

Cllr Timmis asked three questions; 1) what happens when infectious disease carriers are discovered in the food industry, 2) what is the risk of Covid 19 in food preparation and 3) we are not currently doing food sampling due to a shortage of staff, so can we start recruiting now.  R Connolly confirmed that; 1) the person should go to the Doctors and then Public Health England will notify us, there will be an exclusion policy in place and they can return to work for 48 hours after the symptoms have gone, 2) there is no evidence to suggest that Covid 19 is a risk in the preparation of food, and 3) we currently have two adverts going out in August, plus one other Establishment Management Form (EMF) in process. It has been very difficult to employ people who are interested and have the required degree or qualifications so we have been trying to train up our own staff. 

Cllr Ransley asked if we check school kitchens.  R Connolly advised that we do, we have to inspect all food premises, but generally school kitchens have a high standard.

Cllr Beauchamp enquired how often inspections were undertaken.  R Connolly confirmed that it differed depending on the risk rating; the higher the risk the more often we visited.  The highest risk rating is A where we would visit every six months and the lowest risk rating would be every three years: this would be for a pharmacy or similar type business.  If the A risk rated business had any contraventions we would visit more often and make sure they correct any problems.

Cllr Riddick mentioned that there had been a lot of confusion over the procedures with businesses opening and queried if we have been invited to provide advice.  Cllr Riddick also commented that we were in a good position to recruit staff in all areas of the Council due to Covid 19.  R Connolly shared the positivity on the recruitment and we are hoping that this time there will be more applicants as the employment climate is changing.  R Connolly agreed that the information provided can seem confusing but the Food Standards Agency had produced some good information which is in layman’s terms, plus we are changing our inspection proforma to take account of Covid 19 changes, for example social distancing has been included.  Where we have been asked for advice we have been referring people back to the guidance produced by the government to ensure the information given is consistent.

Cllr Hearn asked about the possibility of us getting involved in track and tracing.  E Walker advised that it’s being dealt with nationally but we are increasingly taking on more complex track and trace at the moment but we are working with lots of different Government agencies.

Cllr Beauchamp queried how often the market traders tests are undertaken.  E Walker confirmed that we are not managing the testing, it’s being done by the NHS and it’s only asymptomatic testing, so you only get a test if you have symptoms.  Cllr Beauchamp clarified that he meant food testing of market traders.  E Walker advised there is random sampling for salmonella etc, but don’t test for everything for Covid and market traders are not in that cohort.

The Chairman mentioned that the report was for Members information but felt that it was important for the public to understand the Food Hygiene Rating System (FHRS).  R Connolly confirmed that an explanation of the system is on the Council’s website and includes an app where the owner can check the premises against the FHRS.

The Chairman mentioned there was a discrepancy on paragraph 4.1 and the risk rating.  R Connolly confirmed she would we look into this and advise the outcome.

Action: R Connolly

The report was noted by Committee.