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Shame of caterers: 25% fail on hygiene

Carl Marsden
4/ 6/2008

A QUARTER of Oldham’s food premises have been sent written warnings for failing to meet basic hygiene in the past year.

Many breaches were minor, but officials admit that recent years have seen horror stories that include a deep-fried chicken served with a sink plug inside the batter, and kitchens overrun with mice and cockroaches.

Caterers face court action if they don’t clean up their act and can be fined up to £20,000 – or even face jail for more serious offences.

Two businesses have been prosecuted in the last year, with one opting for voluntary closure.

Of 1,789 registered cafes, restaurants, takeaways, pub and school kitchens operating in the borough, 25.2 per cent were found to be failing to comply with the laws in the 12 months up to April.

That actually represents an improvement on the 33.2 per cent of failures recorded the previous year, and the 29.7 per cent for 2005/6.

Kathryn Kelly, principal environmental health officer leading the council’s inspections team, said: "The law is very specific and a warning is served if they don’t meet a particular requirement.

"It could just be that floor finishings aren’t up to scratch, but it can also be as serious as a cockroach infestion.

"We inspect all Oldham businesses each year and find problems on a daily basis. Food businesses must be licensed before opening but after that changes of ownership can be regular. That’s a challenge – things can then go downhill. By and large most businesses are trying to meet the legislation and work with us.

"We also have an annual food safety forum for businesses which discuss new safety issues. Our aim is to work with businesses but we have had cause to prosecute. We like to see hefty fines as a deterrent."

As previously reported, the council is set to bite further on the problem by introducing a new ratings scheme in coming months. The ‘scores on the doors’ system will help customers make a more informed decision on where they eat.

Environmental health officers will inspect premises in terms of hygiene, structural condition and the overall management of food safety. Each will then receive a score between zero – likely to see it shut down – and five stars. The results will be available on the internet and premises can display ratings on their doors or windows.

Consumers are also still urged to report complaints direct to trading standards.

Kathryn Kelly said: "A lot of our investigative work comes through that kind of report.

"Consumers will often report practices they’ve seen and don’t like but we can also visit premises that look good to customers only to find incorrect food storage or poor cleaning regimes."

A list of all Oldham food businesses which have been awarded the council’s Safer Food Better Business Award – a measure of food safety excellence – can be found online at www.oldham.gov.uk/sfbb_award.

Anyone wishing to report concerns about a business should call 0161 770 4484.