Food safety
The council carries out regular checks on food premises to make
sure the public is protected and that high standards are
maintained.
All food businesses must be registered with the council and
include market stalls, delivery vehicles and mobile food
traders.
Food poisoning
The main causes of food poisoning are:
- Not cooking food properly.
- Preparing food too far in advance.
- Not defrosting food correctly.
- Storing foods incorrectly
- Cross contamination
- Poor hygiene
Who is at risk?
We all are, but young children and the elderly are
particularly vulnerable and become ill quickly when
infected.
Pregnant women, people who already have a pre-existing illness,
and anyone whose immune system is weakened can also be seriously
affected by food borne illness.
Further information about the safe preparation of food and the
symptoms of food poisoning can be found on the web links in the
‘related websites’ box.
Food Hygiene Rating
Scheme
Knowsley participates in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which
provides information on food hygiene standards for many food
businesses in the Borough.
Operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme means that Knowsley
food businesses are part of a national scheme run by local
authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in
partnership with the Food Standards Agency. This provides a
consistent approach for rating premises. The public will be able to
compare hygiene ratings of food businesses in the local area and
further from home.
Each business is given a hygiene rating when inspected by a food
safety officer. They will look at:
- How hygienically the food is prepared, cooked, cooled and
stored
- The condition of the structure of the building
- How the business manages and records what it does to make sure
food is safe.
Premises receive one of these ratings:
|
Rating |
Standard of
premises |
| 5 |
Very good |
| 4 |
Good |
| 3 |
Generally satisfactory |
| 2 |
Improvement necessary |
| 1 |
Major improvement necessary |
| 0 |
Urgent improvement necessary |
Each business receives a certificate and
window sticker which may be displayed at the premises.
Businesses included in the scheme are:
- Retail businesses handling open or perishable food
- Pubs and clubs
- Catering establishments
- Mobile traders
- School and work canteens
- Institutional kitchens (e.g. nursing and residential
homes)
Seach businesses
Search
for food outlets' ratings in Knowsley.
More about food hygiene ratings
The Food Standards Agency has
more about the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.