Environmental Health Business advice

Sale of food     Non-food consumer products     Health and safety in the workplace

Starting Up a New Food Business?

If you are planning to start a new food business or take over an existing one, you must register with the Council. Registration is free and must be completed at least 28 days before opening.

Register your business

Food safety management (HACCP)

• Food safety management (sometimes called HACCP) is about the steps you take to make sure the food you produce is safe to eat.
• You may be asked to have a food safety management system in place and keep records to show how you control food safety in your business.

Safe Catering is a food safety management guide. It helps catering businesses and retailers with a catering function to comply with food hygiene regulations.  For more information, visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Safe catering' page.

Safer food better business details the food safety management procedures for small businesses. SFBB gives you the most up to date information on how to make sure the food you serve in your business is safe.

For more information, visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Safer food, better business (SFBB)' page.

Allergens

The Food Information for Consumers Regulations 2014 came into force on 13 December 2014.  All food businesses including manufacturers, restaurants, takeaways, retailers, bakeries, sandwich bars, etc. are now required to inform you if any of fourteen specific allergens are contained in the food they serve or sell.

The 14 allergens include nuts, peanuts, egg, milk, cereals containing gluten, soya, celery, sesame, crustaceans, fish, mustard, molluscs, lupin and sulphur dioxide/sulphites.

Consumers should now expect to see details of allergens contained in food you buy on the label, menus, chalk boards, tickets or provided verbally by an appropriate member of staff.  When ordering takeaway foods, consumers should expect to be asked about your allergy requirements before placing your order and be provided with further information regarding the allergies on delivery of your meal.

For more information, please visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Allergen guidance for food businesses' page.

The ​Food Standards Agency's 'Allergy training for food businesses' page is a useful resource.

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The FHRS provides consumers with information about the hygiene standards of a premise.  Following a food hygiene inspection, a rating is given to the premise from 0 (urgent improvements necessary) to 5 (very good).

The purpose of the scheme is to allow consumers to make informed choices about the places where they eat or shop. The scheme also encourages businesses to improve their hygiene standards.

You MUST display your statutory rating at a prominent position at all public entrances to your premises.

You MUST also ensure that your rating is declared to any prospective customer enquiring about your rating by any means e.g. in person or by telephone.

Not Happy with Your Rating?

If you are not happy with the food hygiene rating, you have been issued you should contact the inspecting officer to discuss your concerns. If the issue cannot be resolved at that stage, you have three options to consider:

1. your right to request a revisit
2. your right to reply
3. your right to appeal.

The associated documents for each of the above 3 options are available at the bottom of this page.

You can search the ratings of food businesses in Mid and East Antrim through the Food Standards Agency's website.

For one to one advice on Food Safety email food@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Does your business involve the sale of non-food consumer products?

Product safety in the UK is governed by a wide regulatory framework consisting of both national and European-derived legislation. 

The laws apply to any business involved in the import, manufacture and supply of goods to consumers.

Local councils have enforcement responsibilities for safety related issues with Consumer Goods.

General information on Consumer Protection Legislation visit our Product Safety section.

For one to one advice on Product Safety email mea.envhealth@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Other useful links:

• The role of Trading Standards is to promote and maintain fair trading, protect consumers and help reputable businesses to thrive in NI. 
  For information on Trading Standards issues visit the Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service website.
   
• The Consumer Council provide free independent support and advice for all consumers and businesses in N.I.
  They also have the powers to investigate complaints about energy, water, transport and postal services. 
  For General Consumer queries visit the Consumer Council website.

Health & Safety at Work

Environmental Health are responsible for securing occupational health and safety standards in certain workplaces within the Mid and East Antrim Borough area.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) are responsible for enforcement in other sectors. A breakdown is given in the table below.

Council Environmental Health	HSENI
Shops	Manufacturing
Offices	Construction
Wholesale / Retail Warehouses	Government
Catering Premises	Agriculture
Hotels / Pubs / Clubs	Education
Residential Homes	Transport
Recreation / Entertainment	Mines & Quarries
Consumer Services	Hospitals
Places of Worship	Nursing Homes

In general, health and safety laws apply to all businesses (employer and self-employed).

Health and safety laws are there to protect you, your employees and the public from workplace dangers.

Key legal duties placed on employers include the need to write a health and safety policy; carry out a risk assessment to control workplace risks; provide staff training and information; provide the right workplace facilities and consult with employees.

For information on these legal requirements to make health and safety work for your business visit HSENI's 'Benefitting Your Business' section.

RIDDOR Reporting

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (NI) 1997 (RIDDOR) place a legal duty on employers, self-employed people and people in control of premises to report work related deaths; major injuries and over-three-day injuries; work related diseases and dangerous occurrences to their enforcing authority.

All employers can use the on-line centralised system in Northern Ireland to report an incident.

You can report an incident online using the HSENI's Report an Incident form on their website.

Gas Safety in Commercial Catering Premises

Businesses operating gas powered commercial catering equipment have a duty to ensure that their appliances are maintained in a safe condition.

Gas appliance safety is very important - a gas explosion or carbon monoxide from a faulty appliance may affect the public as well as you and your employees.

The Gas Safe Register's website has a very useful Commercial Catering Fact Sheet.

Workplace Health

We are partnering with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland to support their current Workplace Health Campaign. The campaign is aimed at driving the occupational health message home, raising awareness of the main workplace health concerns, the impact they can have, and the need for appropriate controls.

Workplace ill health is preventable. No one in Northern Ireland should develop ill health simply because of a job choice. The campaign is focusing on a wide range of workplace health risks including occupational diseases such as cancers, chronic lung conditions, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related mental wellbeing.

Every workplace has health risks - find out how to reduce them by visiting the HSENI’s Workplace Health section.

For one to one advice on Health & Safety email mea.envhealth@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Other useful links:

• For further information on health and safety basics such as writing a health and safety policy and carrying out a risk assessment visit the NI Business Information website's 'Health and safety' page.