The food hygiene inspection process

When an Environmental Health Officer does their routine inspection of your premises, they will check that you are complying with the law and that your systems ensure that the food you are serving is hygienically prepared and safe.

We will send you a letter four weeks before the inspection to provide you with an opportunity to prepare in advance of the inspection.

Inspectors:

• establish whether food is being handled and produced hygienically
• establish whether food is safe to eat
• identify specific contraventions of food hygiene regulations.
  

After the inspection

Following the inspection the officer will discuss the findings with you and you will receive a written report. Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory, every attempt will be made to resolve the situation by informal means.

However, where poor conditions persist, or if there is a risk to public health, it may be necessary to resort to formal action.

This could involve:

• the service of legal notice
• prosecution
• closure of the business.
  

Success

If you have achieved those standards you will be awarded a certificate which you can display in your premises. Your success or failure to pass will also be published on the Royal Greenwich website.

The Award will only be granted at a routine, unannounced inspection and will remain valid at your business premises until the next following routine inspection - provided satisfactory standards are maintained. The award will not be issued at a revisit or after you have been given opportunity to make improvements.

If you disagree with action taken

If you do not agree with the action taken by an Environmental Health officer, you should first contact their manager, using the number given on the right, to see if the problem can be resolved informally.

If you are still unhappy with the outcome, Royal Borough of Greenwich has a formal complaints procedure you can follow.

Further advice

If you think that your Local Authority is applying the law in a different way from other authorities you can seek advice from the Local Authorities Coordinating Body on Food and Regulatory Services.

How to appeal

You have the right to appeal against an Improvement Notice or refusal by a Local Authority to lift an emergency prohibition order. However, this must be carried out in a magistrates' court.