Analysis: Money problems blamed for inspection failures
Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM
This
damning letter from the FSA shows the cracks that have been appearing in some
of Birmingham’s services.
Regulation
bosses have said the squeeze in recruitment on food hygiene inspectors was down
to "financial problems" - which in turn led to this huge backlog in ratings
being handed out.
New
cafes, bars and takeaways all have to be seen within 28 days - but that hasn’t
been happening.
A
council spokesperson said standards at the majority of food premises in the
city are very good - and they are now getting to grips with the issue.
But
in a city with a growing tourism and food industry it’s not a good look.
'To get zero you are doing something majorly wrong'
Chris, a chef from Shifnal said he would not eat at a one star premises.
He rang Radio WM to say: "You should take notice of the scores on the door.
"It can actually go from zero to five, to get zero you are doing something majorly wrong.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"They not only look at the structure of your business, what you're doing, how you're storing your food, where you are storing it, they also look at the practices of where you're getting it from and also, one of the most important things, they are looking at these days about your traceability, your temperature checks and also your allergy lists, you have to keep an allergy list on the premises at all times."
The action officers take are based on a "scoring system" and if they see "an immediate threat to public health" they will stop a business operating immediately.
"As long as they keep a good clean regimen, they keep their paperwork is up to date and they are not handing food in an inappropriate way, it is difficult to get less than a four I think."
What to do if you're unhappy with a restaurant
If you visit a restaurant or other food premises where there is no rating, the best advice is to report it to the council.
Paul Lankester, in charge of such things at Birmingham City Council, said the department would be "happy" to put it in the system and get it inspected as soon as possible.
Your views: 'If it's not clean turn around and scarper
Many of you have now been having your say through Facebook.
Steve Maguire said: "So we have legislation, laws, rules, guidelines, but less and less enforcement."
And Paula Wilcock said: "Just Birmingham? I bet other city councils are becoming behind as well."
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ringo Sheer said: "Always look at the floors, windows and walls in a fast food eatery, if [they are] not clean turn around and scarper."
Joseph Stephen tweeted: "I wish I was put off but I'm probably gonna get a kebab tonight."
While Mark Robertson said: "If you cannot cook - good luck."
Cat allowed to roam restaurant kitchen
If you need an idea of what inspectors can discover, in 2018 we reported on a court case featuring a business in Telford.
It admitted admitted four charges relating to breaches of food hygiene.
There, inspectors had found a cat was allowed to roam a kitchen and storage areas and its litter tray was placed close to where food was prepared.
Telford & Wrekin CouncilCopyright: Telford & Wrekin Council
They found the floor covering in the kitchen was dirty and in such poor repair it was not easy to clean; the ceiling in the kitchen was also dirty and damaged and dirty clothing was placed on top of a refrigerator.
It was fined £2,800 and eventually ceased trading.
What does the FSA think of what is happening now?
On the whole, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) seems happier with the action now being taken by Birmingham City Council.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Michael Jackson, head of regulatory compliance, said: “The effective enforcement of food law plays a vital role in protecting public health.
“When a local authority is not performing as it should, we’ll take appropriate steps to make sure that it meets its obligations.
“We’re pleased to see the response by Birmingham City Council to the concerns we raised about their performance and will continue to work with them to ensure the necessary improvements are made.”
When will those outstanding inspections take place?
With regards to progress on checking those outstanding premises, Mr Lankester (currently in charge of regulation and enforcement) said: "In the last week all of the highest risk premises have been
done."
He said the department intended to have checked all of the businesses within
two years.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"What [The FSA] have said is that every inspection we have carried out, they can find no problem with the quality of work we have been doing, and the council does a lot of enforcement, they counted that as a priority to actually ensure when we found a premises wasn’t in good order, we dealt with it and followed it up," he said.
“What we haven’t managed to do is keep track with the number - we will be doing that and we are in the process of upping our game on that particular area."
He also said he was "quite happy" to eat out in Birmingham and was confident the standards in most eateries was good - and inspectors want to work with the ones who aren't to make sure they comply.
And what about the experts?
Sylvia Anderson, a food safety consultant, said the level of missed inspections is “quite
shocking”.
“Food hygiene is one of the most important factors for
people to consider when going out to eat,” she said.
“The rating is there to guide the public on where they
should go out and eat.”
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
But she said, ratings can be lower for reasons other than hygiene, for issues of paperwork or the structure of the building.
Your reaction: 'Food poisoning can kill'
As ever, we are keen to hear what you think about this.
If you want to share your views you can get in touch via email,Twitter and Facebook.
A few of you have already got in contact.
Lee, from Redditch, says: “I check food hygiene ratings every single time I order a takeaway to ensure the food hygiene is up to standards.
“I will not order from any takeaway that has three stars or under.
"If a restaurant hasn’t been checked or tested for over 12 months I do not order from them as they can change frequently.”
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Karen from Stonnall, said: "After my mother and I had really bad food poisoning at a restaurant, my mother will no longer eat out, and I will only eat out or have takeaway if it is four star or above.
"Food poisoning can kill elderly people, it is serious."
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Paul from Acock's Green said: "When I go to Bangkok I always eat the street food, the food is always delicious, its piping hot without a food hygiene inspector lurking in the background.
"They depend on the sale of their food and cannot afford to sell dodgy food."
And Scotty, from Meriden, said: “If it looks right, it smells okay and it is red hot – eat it.”
Are there any other pressures?
Mr Lankester, who has been in his post since July, said a rising number of businesses changing ownership had also put pressure on inspectors.
"As soon as they change their owners the FSA requires us to inspect them within 28 days," he added.
"That demand has been rising over the last three or four years, it has quadrupled in that time and so the demand has outstripped some of the resources we've had available."
PACopyright: PA
Changes in legislation requiring authorities to look closely at how allergens are handled has also increased the amount of time they have to spend on an inspection.
What has caused the problems?
That report, which went before Birmingham City Council's licensing committee on Wednesday, says staffing has been an issue.
It said 12 posts within the food safety service have been vacant, out of a full-time total of 24.
In an interview with BBC WM, the Interim Assistant Director for
Regulation and Enforcement at Birmingham City Council Paul Lankester said it was something the council was tackling.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
In April, he said, they brought in five new staff, and had been holding some vacancies because of financial issues at the council.
That is now out of the way, he said, and may bring in a further six to a dozen members of staff.
Have you ever complained about hygiene?
Have you complained about hygiene in a takeaway, cafe or restaurant?
Or do you just ignore those food hygiene ratings and enjoy your kebab no matter what the inspectors say?
How bad are things in Birmingham?
In a letter sent to the council a month ago, the FSA's chief executive Emily Miles said she was "extremely concerned
about the effectiveness of the food safety service being provided by Birmingham
City Council and about the potential risks to public health".
The FSA says the council has a "growing backlog" of more
than 1,000 overdue inspections for premises already rated - 70% of which are
deemed "high risk".
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
It also says a further 1,200 premises are yet to receive a rating at all, 86% of which are likely to fall into the high-risk category
On top of all of this - it is estimating at least 1,000 new registrations will be made this year.
And in addition to its worries about inspections, the FSA has said it has concerns about a "reduction" in the number of complaints about hygiene that are being inspected.
So even the grubbiest takeaway might be getting away it.
Inspection problems
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for overseeing things to ensure food safety - but says “this is not occurring in Birmingham due to the underperformance in inspections and the shortfall in qualified officers”.
So not enough inspectors.
What is the council meant to do?
All
local authorities have a legal duty to enforce the Food Safety &
Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
Councils can inspect a business at any
point and, after an inspection, the business will get a rating from 0-5,
with zero meaning “urgent improvement is necessary” and five showing a
premises is “very good”.
How
often a business is routinely inspected will depend on the type of business and
its previous record. Some premises might be inspected at least every six
months, others much less often.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Officers will offer help and advice on food safety. They can take action if they find that standards of food hygiene are not good enough.
In serious cases, this could be closing the premises or prosecution.
Thousands of food premises not inspected in Birmingham
Going out to eat is supposed to be a treat isn't it?
But if you go out to eat in Birmingham, there is a chance
you may find yourself somewhere where the food safety is completely unknown.
That is because more than 1,000 “high risk” food safety inspections have
been missed by Birmingham City Council, it has been revealed.
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Telford & Wrekin CouncilCopyright: Telford & Wrekin Council 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
PACopyright: PA 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Latest PostCheck out how your favourite takeaway rates
The Food Standards Agency website includes ratings for all food premises that have been inspected.
You can search by the name of the business as well as by city and street.
With that, we'll end our coverage of Birmingham's food inspection problems and head off for a burger.
You can still contribute to the debate on the BBC Midlands Facebook page.
Analysis: Money problems blamed for inspection failures
Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM
This damning letter from the FSA shows the cracks that have been appearing in some of Birmingham’s services.
Regulation bosses have said the squeeze in recruitment on food hygiene inspectors was down to "financial problems" - which in turn led to this huge backlog in ratings being handed out.
New cafes, bars and takeaways all have to be seen within 28 days - but that hasn’t been happening.
A council spokesperson said standards at the majority of food premises in the city are very good - and they are now getting to grips with the issue.
But in a city with a growing tourism and food industry it’s not a good look.
'To get zero you are doing something majorly wrong'
Chris, a chef from Shifnal said he would not eat at a one star premises.
He rang Radio WM to say: "You should take notice of the scores on the door.
"It can actually go from zero to five, to get zero you are doing something majorly wrong.
"They not only look at the structure of your business, what you're doing, how you're storing your food, where you are storing it, they also look at the practices of where you're getting it from and also, one of the most important things, they are looking at these days about your traceability, your temperature checks and also your allergy lists, you have to keep an allergy list on the premises at all times."
The action officers take are based on a "scoring system" and if they see "an immediate threat to public health" they will stop a business operating immediately.
"As long as they keep a good clean regimen, they keep their paperwork is up to date and they are not handing food in an inappropriate way, it is difficult to get less than a four I think."
What to do if you're unhappy with a restaurant
If you visit a restaurant or other food premises where there is no rating, the best advice is to report it to the council.
Paul Lankester, in charge of such things at Birmingham City Council, said the department would be "happy" to put it in the system and get it inspected as soon as possible.
Likewise if you don't like what you see when you buy your favourite late-night takeaway, you can raise it with the council here.
Your views: 'If it's not clean turn around and scarper
Many of you have now been having your say through Facebook.
Steve Maguire said: "So we have legislation, laws, rules, guidelines, but less and less enforcement."
And Paula Wilcock said: "Just Birmingham? I bet other city councils are becoming behind as well."
Ringo Sheer said: "Always look at the floors, windows and walls in a fast food eatery, if [they are] not clean turn around and scarper."
Joseph Stephen tweeted: "I wish I was put off but I'm probably gonna get a kebab tonight."
While Mark Robertson said: "If you cannot cook - good luck."
Cat allowed to roam restaurant kitchen
If you need an idea of what inspectors can discover, in 2018 we reported on a court case featuring a business in Telford.
It admitted admitted four charges relating to breaches of food hygiene.
There, inspectors had found a cat was allowed to roam a kitchen and storage areas and its litter tray was placed close to where food was prepared.
They found the floor covering in the kitchen was dirty and in such poor repair it was not easy to clean; the ceiling in the kitchen was also dirty and damaged and dirty clothing was placed on top of a refrigerator.
It was fined £2,800 and eventually ceased trading.
What does the FSA think of what is happening now?
On the whole, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) seems happier with the action now being taken by Birmingham City Council.
Michael Jackson, head of regulatory compliance, said: “The effective enforcement of food law plays a vital role in protecting public health.
“When a local authority is not performing as it should, we’ll take appropriate steps to make sure that it meets its obligations.
“We’re pleased to see the response by Birmingham City Council to the concerns we raised about their performance and will continue to work with them to ensure the necessary improvements are made.”
When will those outstanding inspections take place?
With regards to progress on checking those outstanding premises, Mr Lankester (currently in charge of regulation and enforcement) said: "In the last week all of the highest risk premises have been done."
He said the department intended to have checked all of the businesses within two years.
"What [The FSA] have said is that every inspection we have carried out, they can find no problem with the quality of work we have been doing, and the council does a lot of enforcement, they counted that as a priority to actually ensure when we found a premises wasn’t in good order, we dealt with it and followed it up," he said.
“What we haven’t managed to do is keep track with the number - we will be doing that and we are in the process of upping our game on that particular area."
He also said he was "quite happy" to eat out in Birmingham and was confident the standards in most eateries was good - and inspectors want to work with the ones who aren't to make sure they comply.
And what about the experts?
Sylvia Anderson, a food safety consultant, said the level of missed inspections is “quite shocking”.
“Food hygiene is one of the most important factors for people to consider when going out to eat,” she said.
“The rating is there to guide the public on where they should go out and eat.”
But she said, ratings can be lower for reasons other than hygiene, for issues of paperwork or the structure of the building.
Your reaction: 'Food poisoning can kill'
As ever, we are keen to hear what you think about this.
If you want to share your views you can get in touch via email,Twitter and Facebook.
A few of you have already got in contact.
Lee, from Redditch, says: “I check food hygiene ratings every single time I order a takeaway to ensure the food hygiene is up to standards.
“I will not order from any takeaway that has three stars or under.
"If a restaurant hasn’t been checked or tested for over 12 months I do not order from them as they can change frequently.”
Karen from Stonnall, said: "After my mother and I had really bad food poisoning at a restaurant, my mother will no longer eat out, and I will only eat out or have takeaway if it is four star or above.
"Food poisoning can kill elderly people, it is serious."
Paul from Acock's Green said: "When I go to Bangkok I always eat the street food, the food is always delicious, its piping hot without a food hygiene inspector lurking in the background.
"They depend on the sale of their food and cannot afford to sell dodgy food."
And Scotty, from Meriden, said: “If it looks right, it smells okay and it is red hot – eat it.”
Are there any other pressures?
Mr Lankester, who has been in his post since July, said a rising number of businesses changing ownership had also put pressure on inspectors.
"As soon as they change their owners the FSA requires us to inspect them within 28 days," he added.
"That demand has been rising over the last three or four years, it has quadrupled in that time and so the demand has outstripped some of the resources we've had available."
Changes in legislation requiring authorities to look closely at how allergens are handled has also increased the amount of time they have to spend on an inspection.
What has caused the problems?
That report, which went before Birmingham City Council's licensing committee on Wednesday, says staffing has been an issue.
It said 12 posts within the food safety service have been vacant, out of a full-time total of 24.
In an interview with BBC WM, the Interim Assistant Director for Regulation and Enforcement at Birmingham City Council Paul Lankester said it was something the council was tackling.
In April, he said, they brought in five new staff, and had been holding some vacancies because of financial issues at the council.
That is now out of the way, he said, and may bring in a further six to a dozen members of staff.
Have you ever complained about hygiene?
Have you complained about hygiene in a takeaway, cafe or restaurant?
Let us know what got you riled.
Or do you just ignore those food hygiene ratings and enjoy your kebab no matter what the inspectors say?
How bad are things in Birmingham?
In a letter sent to the council a month ago, the FSA's chief executive Emily Miles said she was "extremely concerned about the effectiveness of the food safety service being provided by Birmingham City Council and about the potential risks to public health".
The FSA says the council has a "growing backlog" of more than 1,000 overdue inspections for premises already rated - 70% of which are deemed "high risk".
It also says a further 1,200 premises are yet to receive a rating at all, 86% of which are likely to fall into the high-risk category
On top of all of this - it is estimating at least 1,000 new registrations will be made this year.
And in addition to its worries about inspections, the FSA has said it has concerns about a "reduction" in the number of complaints about hygiene that are being inspected.
So even the grubbiest takeaway might be getting away it.
Inspection problems
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for overseeing things to ensure food safety - but says “this is not occurring in Birmingham due to the underperformance in inspections and the shortfall in qualified officers”.
So not enough inspectors.
What is the council meant to do?
All local authorities have a legal duty to enforce the Food Safety & Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
Councils can inspect a business at any point and, after an inspection, the business will get a rating from 0-5, with zero meaning “urgent improvement is necessary” and five showing a premises is “very good”.
How often a business is routinely inspected will depend on the type of business and its previous record. Some premises might be inspected at least every six months, others much less often.
Officers will offer help and advice on food safety. They can take action if they find that standards of food hygiene are not good enough.
In serious cases, this could be closing the premises or prosecution.
Thousands of food premises not inspected in Birmingham
Going out to eat is supposed to be a treat isn't it?
But if you go out to eat in Birmingham, there is a chance you may find yourself somewhere where the food safety is completely unknown.
That is because more than 1,000 “high risk” food safety inspections have been missed by Birmingham City Council, it has been revealed.
The details came from a Birmingham City Council licensing committee meeting earlier this week.
But it isn’t the first time there have been problems like this in Birmingham.
In 2018, consumer watchdog Which? said Birmingham was the UK's worst area for food hygiene, because not enough businesses were visited within 28 days of opening.