What to expect from a food safety inspection

Food safety officers can take enforcement action against your business to protect the public. The officer should confirm any action you need to take in a written letter. They must give you enough time to put actions into effect, unless there is an immediate risk to public health.

During an inspection of your business, an officer can also serve a legal notice.

Examples of food safety notices

Examples of notices you may receive during a food safety inspection include:

Hygiene improvement notice

This sets out what you must do to comply with food hygiene law. You may receive this if your business is breaking the law.

Food information improvement notice

This sets out what you need to do to comply with food information law. You may receive this if your business is breaking the law.

Hygiene emergency prohibition (HEP) notice

This forbids you to use certain processes, premises or equipment and must be confirmed by a court. Once confirmed by the court, it becomes a HEP order.

Remedial action notice

This forbids the use of certain processes, premises or equipment. It can also impose conditions on how you carry out a process. It's similar to a HEP notice, but it does not need to be confirmed by a court.

Food business prohibition order

In serious cases, inspectors can also recommend prosecution. If a prosecution is successful, the court may forbid you from using certain processes, premises or equipment. It could ban you from managing a food business, eg via a food business prohibition order. It could also lead to a fine or imprisonment.