Food safety

We carry out regular checks on all food premises to ensure the public is protected and that high standards are maintained.

The Food Safety Team is responsible for the inspection of all approx 2,600 food businesses in Tower Hamlets. This includes all food premises where food is handled, prepared, or stored - whether money is exchanged or not.

Businesses are not pre-warned about impending spot checks; these are scheduled according to the degree of potential risk ensuring high-risk premises are visited more frequently.

Visits include:

• legal compliance checks
• identifying potential food risks - structure, practices, hygiene etc
• checking managers and food handlers are fully trained
• checking compliance with allergens information and general food labelling
• assessing the cleanliness of the premises and equipment
• verifying the type of food handled
• sampling.

The inspecting officer will then offer advice on good hygiene practice. Where practices or conditions are not satisfactory, every attempt is made to resolve the situation through informal means, but where poor conditions persist, or where there is a risk to public health it may be necessary to resort to formal action. This could involve either the service of legal notice, prosecution, or in extreme cases, closure of the business.

If you are a business proprietor or manager seeking further advice about how to handle food or the standards required please contact us.

You may be able to find an answer to your query in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).