Appendix 1

Food and Safety Team - Work Plan 2024 – 2025

Introduction
The food and safety team is responsible for a range of functions, including undertaking food safety regulation, the monitoring and enforcement of workplace health and safety and a range of licensing functions, including animal activities, caravan sites and skin piercing and for operating the event safety advisory group (SAG). This workplan is a summary of those priorities within the team’s overall service plan relating to the delivery of the food hygiene and safety service. The aim of the food service plan is to protect the public from potentially dangerous foods and poor food hygiene practices.
High Priority
1	To inspect all poor performing, high-risk or approved food businesses due inspection – that is those businesses with a food hygiene rating of 0, 1 or 2 (i.e., non-broadly compliant), or businesses with a risk rating of A or B, and all approved businesses.
2	To promptly inspect newly registered food businesses triaged as high risk, due to foods proposed, scale, frequency and any specified processing.
3	To also inspect lower risk newly registered businesses within 4 months of commencement.
4	To support the operation of the national food hygiene rating scheme by providing businesses with and publishing their rating following food hygiene inspections, and by offering businesses safeguards, including the opportunity to be re-inspected and provided with a new food hygiene rating.
5	For businesses due an inspection, with a risk category of C which are broadly compliant, to alternate between an inspection/audit or another defined action which takes less time and is less burdensome on the business.
6	To engage in and support the Food Standards Agency’s review of the delivery of food control in England and Wales.
Lower Priority
7	To carry out an appropriate intervention on due D rated food businesses, as well as complete outstanding D rated food businesses inspections – this may be either inspection/audit, or another ‘official control’, or another action which may be undertaken by new or unqualified staff.
8	To continue to carry out alternative enforcement action on lower-risk E rated establishments. This may be an inspection if there have been substantial changes to the business, but in many cases will consist of gathering information on the business.
Business as usual – reactive service
9	To respond urgently to appropriate notifications to safeguard residents. This may include responding to ‘Food Alerts’ as directed by the Food Standards Agency, taking local action where it may be necessary to withdraw, seize or detain food, due to notification of food incidents or food hazards, or through the closure of a food business where an imminent risk to health is identified
10	To respond to and when appropriate to investigate complaints and requests for service such as food complaints and premises complaints.
11	To undertake the sampling of food and food business environmental sampling to support work locally and nationally. To investigate where unsatisfactory results are identified.
12	Infectious Disease: To investigate all GP notifications of notifiable food-borne infections and suspected food poisoning outbreaks. Take any necessary actions arising from the investigation and to report outcomes to assist in national surveillance.
13	To continue to offer support to businesses through the Primary Authority partnership scheme.
14	As directed and by agreement with Hampshire Trading Standards or the Food Standards Agency, to inspect some primary production businesses, particularly those for which enforcement may be shared. This may include fishing vessels, deer larders and fruit farms.