Food Law Interventions

We implement a planned programme of risk based food law interventions

We have a legal duty to carry out food law interventions, at food businesses within North Lanarkshire.

Interventions are defined as activities that are designed to monitor, support and increase Food Law compliance within a Food Business Establishment.

This is to ensure that they are complying with national food law which sets out rules and standards for keeping food safe.

Interventions

Interventions will look at the safety of how the food is handled, prepared, stored and sold, and will also look at whether the information provided about the food on labels and menus is accurate and that the ingredients used are safe.

They will normally be carried out without any advanced warning to make sure that officers can look at how the business operates under normal conditions.

However, the purpose of our visit is not to find problems, or catch people out but to make sure that a business is operating safely and is able to show it can do this every day it is operating.

Our staff will take action against a business if there is a risk to public health. In most cases business operators and staff work hard to keep food safe, and they will provide guidance to ensure any issues requiring attention are dealt with.

Scoring

After every intervention a score will be given to the business depending on how well it is complying with food law. The higher the score the more often the business will be visited. The highest-scoring businesses will be inspected every month, and the lowest scoring every three years.

There is a national scoring scheme used by all local authorities in Scotland.

However, if there are serious problems that need to be fixed then officers will carry out revisits as required, and take formal action against the business to ensure standards are improved.

Serious concerns are not ignored. The business' score can go up or down following an intervention depending on the level of compliance found.

Action

At the end of every visit the food business will be issued with a report of the issues discussed and any matters they need to fix.

If more serious action is required, officers have the power to serve various types of notices to improve standards, stop the business operating, seize and take for destruction any food felt to be a danger, and also report matters to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.

Action will be taken in accordance with our enforcement policy a copy of which can be provided by using the "Contact us" information on this page.

Audits

The service is subject to regular audits by Food Standards Scotland. The audits cover the application of enforcement powers within a broad framework agreed between the agency and local authorities.

Food Hygiene Information Scheme

We also take part in the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS). We award premises a rating of "Pass" or "Improvement Required" following planned inspections and record these together with inspection reports on the Food Hygiene Information Scheme page of our website.

Appeal

As the food business operator of the establishment you have a right to appeal the outcome of your food hygiene inspection if you do not agree that the outcome reflects the hygiene standards and management controls found at the time of the inspection. You can use the form on this page to submit your appeal within 14 days from the receipt of your letter.

Responsibility

Even though we have a duty and power to undertake food law interventions and protect public health, it should be remembered that the responsibility for ensuring safe food every day belongs to the food business operator and the staff working in the business.