Our Food Safety Officers form part of our Environmental Health team and work hard to ensure a high standard of food hygiene and safety across Mid Devon. They are responsible for:
- Inspection and Enforcement of food safety legislation in food businesses
- Registration of food businesses
- Following up complaints about food sold or manufactured
- Investigating cases of food poisoning and infectious disease
- Fish inspection and port health duties
- Food sampling
Our Food Safety Officers inspect food premises according to the risk they pose. The Food Standards Agency - Food Law Code of Practice determines how often each premises is inspected. Additionally, our officers provide a number of services to assist local businesses to include:
- Producing food safety guidance and leaflets on food safety issues
- Food hygiene training courses
- Seminars and workshops on food safety issues
- Food safety award schemes
Whether you are a member of the public or the proprietor of a food business, you can expect a high quality of service from our food safety team.
Devon County Council
Responsibility for ensuring that the food produced and on sale in Devon complies with the legal requirements relating to safety, quality and composition lies with Devon & Somerset Trading Standards Department through Devon County Council. They carry out programmed inspections and sampling throughout the food chain, from farms through to manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and caterers, to ensure that the safety, composition, quality, labelling (including nutritional labelling), advertising and presentation of food is both safe and legal. These checks ensure that:
- Consumers know what they are buying
- Labels are truthful
- Food products comply with legal minimum standards, where appropriate
- Additives included in food products are within permitted levels
- Materials and articles in contact with food are safe
In addition to inspections and sampling, they also provide advice to businesses and investigate complaints about food safety, quality & composition.
Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), issue warnings known as 'Food Alerts' where batches of food products have had to be withdrawn from sale and recalled due to possible risks to health.
For details of the latest alerts which may affect you or your family, visit the Food Standards Agency - Food Alerts webpage.