Food hygiene inspection backlog causes concern

Marc Ward, a chef at Harry's Soul Station, said it was important to reach standards for customers

A backlog of food hygiene inspections is bringing unwelcome uncertainty for a city's hospitality venues.

Norwich City Council has been working to reduce its number of overdue inspections, which stood at 475 in April.

The authority has pointed to "strong progress" as its latest figures showed the backlog had reduced to 275 by September.

Marc Ward, a chef at Harry's Soul Station, which got a maximum five-star rating in January, said the ratings were essential to give "peace of mind" to customers.

Hospitality venues, including restaurants and bars, are meant to be inspected by their local council at least once every five years to enforce Food Standards Agency regulations.

Ratings range from zero, meaning urgent improvement is required, to five, meaning standards are very good.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, officers in Norwich have been receiving about 20 to 30 new applications for food businesses a month.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We have made strong progress over the last six months to reduce the number of outstanding inspections and support businesses to meet the required standards."

Norwich City Council said it was making "progress" to reduce the numbers of outstanding inspections

The authority said that between April and September, about 83% of non-compliant food businesses had improved to a compliant standard following intervention, with the figure for September rising to 94%.

Mr Ward, from Harry's Soul Station, in Adelaide Street, said: "It is good for the customers as they can see it on the door, and we have got great team training when it comes to hygiene and food safety."

To get a high rating, he said, paperwork was crucial and it was essential to keep "all of the food in the right conditions and right places".

Sarah Daniels, from The Red Cat Partnership, said it was "easy" to get a good rating if you followed the rules

The council said every complaint was reviewed and allocated within five working days.

Sarah Daniels, from The Red Cat Partnership in Norwich, which provides food hygiene training, said it should be straightforward for outlets to comply.

According to the council's website, six venues in the city had a one-star rating and one venue received a zero.

Speaking on BBC Radio Norfolk, Ms Daniels said: "If you follow all of the really fundamental rules, it is easy as anything and it should be part of the day-to-day management of your business."

Karen Davis, manager of The Bread and Roses Community Cafe, said it was "standard practice" to follow council guidelines on food hygiene

The Bread and Roses Community Cafe in Suffolk Square received a five-star rating in February.

Karen Davis, the manager, and also an independent city councillor, said people needed to follow council guidelines, which were "standard practice".

She said: "You need to probe your food to get the right temperature. You check the fridges every day; [that] stocks are in date, and cleaning."

Adam Giles, Labour cabinet member for planning and regulatory services, said: "We are focusing our resources on the businesses that present the highest risk, and we continue to maintain a 100% response rate to food-related complaints."