Food

Medway Council's food and safety team aims to ensure that all food offered to the public is safe to eat. The team focuses on protecting public health and supporting businesses to ensure that they achieve compliance with food safety law and also to maintain legal standards of hygiene and safety.

Food safety officers have wide powers of enforcement and are able to inspect any stage of the production, manufacturing, distribution and retail sale of food. Food premises are inspected at a frequency consistent with the risk in terms of food safety hazards and all necessary steps are taken to protect the health of consumers. Legal action may be taken against food premises that do not comply with food safety law.

The team also provides advice and guidance to the public on issues of food hygiene, the investigation of outbreaks of food poisoning and notifiable diseases. The team works together with the Food Standards Agency to maintain standards of food safety and hygiene and to protect consumers through effective food enforcement and monitoring. Please visit their website (www.food.gov.uk) for further information.

The team also inspects business premises in Medway to reduce the risk to people from hazards in the workplace. The team provides advice on health and safety to businesses and the general public and can take action to ensure compliance with the law. Complaints by employees are investigated in relation to working conditions as well as accidents at work and work-related ill health.

The team shares responsibility with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for enforcing and providing advice on health and safety matters in the Medway area. Please visit the HSE's website (www.hse.gov.uk) for further information.

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