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Environmental Health - Grading of Food Premises How will grading be of benefit to the public? How can I find out the grade of a food shop or restaurant? Does every premise have to display a licence with a grade? What does the grade of a premise mean? What happens to D and E graded premises? How often are food premises graded? Can a food operator request a re-grade of food premises? How does Council ensure that that the grade of a food shop is maintained? Who does food safety training? Papakura food operators can adopt new food safety system On 13 February 2006 Council resolved to introduce a performance assessment reporting and grading system for food premises. The system was introduced on April 1 2006. It is designed to measure a premises’ degree of compliance with the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974. The degree of compliance is represented by an alphabet letter which is assigned according to the performance rating. The letter or grade is printed on the food premises licence issued by Council. How will grading be of benefit to the public? The public display and the advertising of the grades provide the opportunity for the public to make an informed choice about where to purchase food based on the grade of the food premises. How can I find out the grade of a food shop or restaurant? The grades are printed on the licence which is required to be displayed at the front entrance to the premises or at the service counter so it can be easily seen by the public. From time to time Council will publish the grades of all premises. An updated list of the grades for all premises can be obtained from Customer Services or is available to download here. Does every premises have to display a licence with a grade? Council has printed the grade of the premises on the licence and every registered premises is required by law to clearly display the current licence. The public can enquire with Customer Services about the status of the food premises not displaying a current Council licence or ask the operator before choosing whether or not to purchase food from the premises. There are a small number of premises that are exempt from being licensed by Council. There are some large food retailers and manufacturers that have their own food safety and quality assurance programmes in place which have been approved by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA). Such premises are exempt from the requirements set out in the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974 by the Ministry of Health, and are not licensed by Council. Exempted premises do not come under the Council’s Food Premises Grading Scheme. Council does not inspect or monitor these premises. A list of exempted premises can be viewed on the exemptions register that is maintained by the NZFSA. What does the grade of a premises mean? Grading is just a different means of reporting that has relevance to the safety of the food produced, packed, stored or sold on or from the premises and provides a system of measurement that can be easily understood. It is a combined measure of an assessment of the risks and defects associated with the premises, the conduct of the premises, the cleaning and sanitising practices used by the operator and the number of trained staff. It will enable Council to more accurately monitor and report the standard of food premises. There are four main grades – A, B, D and E. There is no C grade to clearly differentiate good premises and those that are of a lower standard.
What happens to D and E graded premises? Remedial work would be required to bring the premises up to an acceptable standard. The food premises will be required to display the D or E grade until they are re-graded. The public on seeing the grading on the displayed licence will be able to decide whether or not to purchase food from the premises. Prosecution action will also be considered particularly for serious or repetitive food safety breaches. The food premises may also be required to close. How often are food premises graded? All food premises are graded annually. The displayed licence will show the most recent grade derived from the performance assessment report. Can a food operator request a re-grade of food premises? There will be instances where food operators who do not have an A graded premises will want to have the premises reassessed. Another performance assessment report can be requested but generally this will not be carried out within 3 months of the last assessment. Food operators will have to complete a grading reassessment request form and pay the prescribed fee for the special inspection and reassessment. How does Council ensure that that the grade of a food shop is maintained? The grade of a food premises is determined on the conditions found on the day of the inspection. Conditions may change after the day of the assessment report. If in response to a complaint or during the course of a routine monitoring inspection, a food premises that had an A grade was found to be dirty or have developed poor food safety work practices, the Environmental Heath Officer may re-grade the premises. New premises will be issued with a licence displaying the letters UG for ungraded or GP for grade pending. This is because it is not possible to assess the cleaning and sanitising practices or the conduct of food workers prior to the premises opening. Once the premises have been operating for a period, a performance assessment report will be carried out and a replacement licence issued with the grade. Papakura food operators can adopt new food safety system Operators of cafés and restaurants in Papakura will be among the first in the country to have the chance to use a new food safety management system when a Food Control Plan developed especially for their businesses is released in July 2008. Papakura District Council has joined the voluntary programme to enable local food businesses to register a Food Control Plan. The Food Control Plan, developed by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, provides a structured approach to managing food safety. It’s a series of information sheets detailing best practice for all steps in the food service process including food preparation, storage, display and cleaning. A new Food Bill is being written and when it’s introduced, Food Control Plans will be required for most food businesses but until it comes into force the plan is being offered on a voluntary basis. The Food Control Plan has been trialled in restaurants and cafes of varying sizes across the country over the last two years. The operators involved welcomed the benefits it gave them including the confidence to know that they were doing the best they could in terms of managing their premises and processes to provide their customers with the safest possible products. Operators who would like more information about Food Control Plans can contact Andrew Gordon or telephone 295 2326 or check out www.nzfsa.govt.nz
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