About Food Safety

Officers from Basildon Council's Environmental Health Service investigate reports of illness and outbreaks of food poisoning.

Our aim is to prevent and control the spread of infection and protect the safety of food and water supplies in the borough. We provide advice and guidance on good hygiene practices, including the prevention of illness associated with the consumption of unsafe food and enforce public health legislation to protect the health and welfare of people living and working in the Basildon Borough.

Basildon Borough Council takes part in the Food Standards Agency's Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (opens new window).

Our aim is to ensure that food is, or will be, having regard to further processing, safe to eat.

How Will We Do This?

We will maintain an up to date register of all food premises in the Basildon Borough.
We will inspect all food premises on a risk based, rolling programme in accordance with the current codes of practice and take enforcement action as necessary.
We will investigate all complaints about food businesses or food sold within the district, to ascertain the cause of any problem and prevent a recurrence.
We will monitor the movement of unfit food into and out of the Basildon Borough and seize, detain and destroy as necessary, any food found upon inspection to be contaminated or unfit.
We will carry out food sampling programmes coordinated by Essex Food Liaison Group and Regional Bodies.
We will approve food businesses whose activities require them to meet additional requirements under Assimilated European Law.
We will provide advice and information to businesses and consumers on food safety issues.
We will comment on proposed food legislation, codes of practice and other official documents as necessary and as requested.

If you would like any advice or guidance about any of these food issues,

or if you would like to take part in a training course,

or if you wish to make a complaint about food you have purchased

or if you need to report the condition of any food premises in the Borough.

Whether you own a food business, or are a customer in the Basildon Borough, you should know that Basildon Council's food safety team

are required to register food businesses in the Basildon Borough
will inspect all food premises in Basildon according to risk to make sure that they reach certain standards
will investigate complaints relating to food purchased in the Basildon Borough
will undertake routine sampling of food to identify any problems and take action as necessary
will in serious circumstances where food is unfit, make sure it is removed from sale (and destroyed if necessary), and if a food premises is posing a risk to health, take action to close it
also offers training for food handlers.

Environmental Health Food Safety - See our Service Aims

Environmental Health - See the Regulatory Services Policy on our About Environmental Health Webpage.

FOOD SAFETY LEAFLETS AND BOOKLETS

Food Hygiene Training Leaflets

The Essentials of Food Hygiene (PDF, 11 KB) (required knowledge for all staff starting work for the first time) - see also Food Hygiene Training

Hygiene Awareness Instruction (PDF, 8 KB) (required knowledge for all staff within 4 weeks of starting work) - see also Food Hygiene Training

FOOD SAFETY GUIDES

Food Safety - Hazard Analysis Daily Record Sheet (PDF, 132 KB)

Contacting Us.

You can report a food problem within the Basildon Borough by using the following link:

Online form - Report bad hygiene / food contamination / illegal foodstuffs

To ensure that food is, or will be, having regard to further processing, safe to eat.