 |
Surrey
Heath Borough Council Surrey Police Woking Area
Primary Care Trust Surrey County
Council |
NEWS
RELEASE |
Food Hygiene Awards
Excellent standards in food hygiene across Surrey Heath will be celebrated
at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, July 4.
The environmental health team at Surrey Heath Borough Council has organised the annual Food Hygiene Awards for over 10 years and this year the certificates, shields and plates will be presented by the Borough's Mayor Cllr Keith Bush to the winners at the ceremony at Corinna Lodge in Camberley.
The awards commend high standards in food hygiene at a variety of establishments including nursing homes, schools, restaurants, pubs, military establishments and hospitals.
Portfolio Holder for Leisure and the Environment Cllr Patricia Pearce said: "High standards of hygiene in food premises are essential to protecting the public from food poisoning. Many food business operators recognise this and strive to maintain high standards throughout their operation. The Council provides recognition for this through the Food Hygiene Awards and would like to congratulate the many homes and businesses in the Borough which achieve such high standards in food hygiene."
The Council's environmental health team conducted 303 inspections last year and investigated 12 food complaints and 29 complaints about food premises.
The team decides which establishments should receive the awards based on previous inspections and food hygiene history and makes an additional visit to the premises shortly before the winners are decided to ensure standards are still up to scratch.
There are three levels of awards which can be attained;
1. The Commendation Certificate
This is the entry level and the starting point for all establishments. To earn this award, the establishment must fully comply with current food hygiene regulations and show evidence of good practice. This means a hygienic premise, good practices and a fully implemented set of written procedures based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).
The certificate is awarded for an 18 month period.
2. The Merit Award
The merit award is available to certificate holders at the end of the initial 18 month period. The standards for this award are higher then the certificate level and further improvement maybe necessary for this to be presented.
Part of the process to achieving this award is maintaining high standards, which is why it is never awarded first time around, regardless of the standards found when the first assessment is made for the certificate.
The award itself is a shield and like the certificate lasts for 18 months. If standards are maintained the award can be renewed upon application and the shield updated.
3. The Excellence Award
This recognises all round superb standards and takes the form of an engraved pewter plate. In addition to achieving the highest standard the establishment must make a submission on how continuous improvement is achieved at the premises.
For more information about food hygiene visit the Food Standards Agency
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------