Food and Safety Advisory Service

1. Introduction

On 2 February 2023, Coventry City Council approved proposals to introduce a chargeable advisory service for discretionary food and safety advice under Section 93 (1)(a) of the Local Government Act 2003 and in compliance with the Food Law Code of Practice (England).

2. How will this work?

Free support for businesses is provided on the Council’s website for businesses to ‘self-help’ themselves to and businesses will also be provided with 30 minutes of initial general advice on food and safety legislation, for free per annum. This advice will include signposting of businesses to alternative sources of advice and self-help and will normally be delivered over the telephone or by email.

If this is not sufficient or does not meet the needs of the business, the customer will be given the opportunity to pay for either an online advisory service or pay for a site visit which can provide bespoke advice on food and safety legislation. Chargeable advice provided would include tailored advice on for example, documented procedures, cleaning, layout of the food premises etc. All advice will be appropriate and proportionate to the business to give reassurance on compliance.

3. What we offer

We offer the following five advisory packages:

1. Online advisory service – aimed at all businesses who would benefit from a one-on-one conversation with a competent officer via Teams, over the telephone, or via email exchange, where they can seek support on a range of food and safety related matters. The officer will follow up the conversation with a summary of the discussions, sent electronically.
2. Food safety new business start-up site visit – aimed at start-up businesses or newly registered food business to help them understand the regulatory framework and achieve the best possible national food hygiene rating. The officer will follow up the conversation with a summary of the discussions, sent electronically.
3. Food safety keeping on track site visit – aimed at existing food businesses to help them keep on track in between statutory inspections, keeping them updated on the current regulatory landscape to help them retain the best possible national food hygiene rating. The officer will follow up the conversation with a summary of the discussions, sent electronically.
4. Food safety pre inspection site visit – aimed at existing food businesses who are due for a statutory inspection, or who have applied for a food hygiene rating scheme revisit, to help them prepare for the inspection. The officer will follow up the conversation with a summary of the discussions, sent electronically.
5. Support in completing Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack on site – aimed at helping all food business operators complete their SFBB pack.

4. Fees and charges

The advisory service fees have been calculated by assessing the time it takes to complete each step in the advisory process from the receipt of the request for advice to the follow up report and data input of the work. For site visits, it also includes travel time, mileage and parking costs. The time taken is assigned to different roles and the costs based on hourly rates. Fees and charges will be reviewed on a bi-annual basis.

All fees will be paid for in advance via our webpages and are non-refundable.

Details of our current fees

5. Safeguards

You will not receive a food safety inspection from an officer who has provided you with advice and support.

The advisory service offered is completely separate from any official controls undertaken by the team. This will be made clear before the service is booked.

We actively encourage you to make your own enquiries regarding alternative providers of this service, and it is up to you to determine whether the services we offer is suitable for your needs and provide you with the best value for money.

There is no obligation for you to take up the services offered by Coventry City Council.

6. Important to note - advisory visits

If during an advisory visit to a business that is trading, significant non-compliances are identified that present a risk to public health, a full inspection will be undertaken, and appropriate action taken in line with our Enforcement Policy. In such circumstances, the use of formal enforcement powers may be necessary.

7. Important to note - SFBB support visits

The officer will support you with completing the Safer Food Better Business Pack. This means they will spend a maximum of 2 hours at your business with you going through the pack with you and will include:

• Explaining what the pack is and why it is required
• Your responsibilities in completing the pack and always keeping it up to date
• Spending time completing as many pages of the pack as is possible within the 2 hours.

Please note:

• The number of pages completed may vary depending on the nature of your business, as different types of businesses have different food safety risks.
• If English is not your first language you may wish to consider bringing a friend or staff member along who can interpret and help you get the most out of your visit.
• There is no guarantee that an Officer will complete the whole pack in the 2 hours. If there is a particular part of the pack you would like their support with then please make them aware at the beginning of the visit.
• Having a visit from one of our team does not guarantee an increased food hygiene rating. The final responsibility for food safety at your business lies with you as the Food Business Operator. The aim of this visit is to provide support and give you more knowledge and understanding of using the SFBB pack to meet your requirements for a documented food safety management system.
• The SFBB pack will always need reviewing if anything in your business changes.
• The daily diary in the SFBB pack will require completing every day you are trading.  

8. Right of appeal

Anyone wishing to complain about the advisory service can do so in writing to Nicola Castledine, Food and Safety Manager, Coventry City Council, PO Box 15, Council House, Coventry, CV1 5RR, or by phone on 024 7697 5503 or by email at nicola.castledine@coventry.gov.uk

9. Review

This policy will be reviewed every three years or earlier should there be any changes in law and practice. The fees section shall be updated online following the annual review of the Council’s fees and charges.

Author: Nicola Castledine
Date: 06 June 2023

Version 2, Review date 27 January 2024