Food Safety Advice

Food Safety Advice

Advice for food businesses can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.

If you are Starting up a food business, information can be found at Starting a Food Business

If you have a single question about food safety please use the Food Safety Query Form to contact us.

Food Advice Service.

We are now offering a fee-based advisory service for food safety for:

• New businesses before they start trading to ensure things are right first time
• Existing businesses wanting to improve your chances of receiving the highest food hygiene rating.

New Business Advice:

Before you open your food business you can obtain advice from a food safety officer who will be able to make you aware of all food hygiene requirements that you need to consider before you start trading.

There is a charge for this service of £130 for the first hour and £65 per hour after (see our Scale of Fees and Charges below) which includes the following:

• A one-hour site visit of the proposed premises offering advice about structural requirements and proposed layout.
• On-site written report summarising visit and recommendations
• Issuing you with a Safer Food Better Business Pack (SFBB) and a 12 months supply of diary sheets, along with explaining how it should be completed.
• Signpost you to other sources of information, agencies or Council departments as appropriate. The decision ultimately rests with your business.

Existing Business Advice

If you are already running a food business, you can also request food safety advice or advice on how to improve your food hygiene rating. 

There is a charge for this service of £130 for the first hour and £65 per hour after (see our Scale of Fees and Charges below) which includes the following:

• A full review of your premises and food safety documentation i.e. Safer Food Better Business (SFBB).
• The officer will discuss with you the legal requirements and advisory matters that require your attention.
• A detailed report listing all the requirements that need to be addressed to improve your rating.
• Other requests tailored to you needs.

To request business advice, please contact us using the Food Safety Query Form.

Fees and Charges

• One hour visit to the Council office: £65
• One hour site visit plus report: £130
• Two hour site visit plus report: £195
• Three hour site visit plus report: £260