Food inspection backlogs spark safety fears

Council-employed teams rate premises on things like cleanliness with a score of five in the best cases

Only about half of restaurants and takeaways in parts of Devon have been checked by food inspectors in the last two years, according to BBC research.

Analysis of Food Standards Agency (FSA) records reveal that, of those in Devon, about 47% of the eateries in the South Hams district and 44% in Plymouth have not been inspected since 2021. In Cornwall, it was nearly 20%.

The Unison union said it was a serious public health issue which was leaving consumers at risk from unsafe food.

Councils said there was a backlog as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and recruitment issues.

There are strict guidelines for food premises to keep consumers safe

The FSA oversees food hygiene inspections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Guidelines say most food premises should be inspected between every six months and two years, depending on risk.

Council-employed teams give ratings on things such as cleanliness, pest control and safe storage of food, with five the best and zero the worst.

South Hams District Council said it has been working closely with the FSA on a recovery plan dealing with a backlog after the pandemic.

It said: “Some of the businesses within the list have since closed and no longer need an inspection. Therefore, there is an imbalance in the figures and these will further reduce as records are updated over time.

“We have been training our existing staff to become qualified food inspectors so that, eventually, they are able to support our team in inspecting higher-risk food premises.

"This is making us more resilient in the future."

'Unable to recruit'

Plymouth City Council said it also still had a backlog of inspections from the pandemic.

It said: "Despite two rounds of national advertising, we have been unable to recruit to our vacant environmental health officer post.

“We are also seeing an increase in non-compliance, which is utilising more of our food inspector resources, as we continue to work through the Covid-19 backlog."

Cafe owner Charlie Snell says Cornwall Council works with hospitality businesses so they are prepared for inspections

Charlie Snell runs a cafe and takeaway called Bread and Butter in Truro, Cornwall, which had an inspection in February.

"There's a lot in it, it's very comprehensive. They come and look at every process we have," he said.

Bread and Butter was awarded the top rating of five stars and Mr Snell said it was important for businesses to know they were keeping customers safe and well.

He added: "But I think it's also really important for Cornwall as a brand and as a tourist region, and a place where people live and work.

"It's for the consumers to know and to have that confidence in where they go to eat."

Safety team 'redeployed'

In Cornwall, the FSA figures show 18% of eateries were not inspected in more than two years.

Cornwall Council said its food and safety team was redeployed during the pandemic and all outstanding inspections were due to be completed by the end of this financial year.

The FSA said councils were generally getting through backlogs of high-risk inspections, which mounted during the Covid lockdowns.

But it said there were still concerns over lower-risk venues and new venues not being checked.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We will get local government back on its feet by doing the basics right.

“We will do this by providing councils with more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system.”