Food Safety and Port Health

Ipswich Borough Council has a legal duty to enforce the Food Safety Act and related legislation. The Food Safety Team (which also carries out the role of Ipswich Port Health Authority) aims to ensure all food produced or consumed from commercial premises in the Borough, or imported via Ipswich Port, is safe to eat.

The team

• Inspects food premises (producers, caterers, retailers, etc) to ensure compliance with food safety law.
• Uses education techniques and various legal means to achieve compliance.
• Ensures food originating outside the EU which are brought into the Port of Ipswich is imported properly and safe to eat.
• Investigates consumer complaints about hygienic standards of food premises or about food purchased in the Borough
• Registers all food premises and formally licenses or approves product-specific premises.
• Investigates cases of food poisoning and other infectious diseases formally notified to us, working with other health care professionals in doing so.
• Participates in local and national food safety education programmes led by the Government and its agencies (e.g. the Food Standards Agency).
• Works with other food safety services both in Suffolk and nationally to ensure consistency.
• Provides advice and information to the public and all stakeholders on a variety of food safety and port health issues
• Works with other Ipswich Borough Council services to advise on food safety matters, e.g. events with a Public Entertainment Licence, Planning and Building Control Applications

What you can expect

• We will carry out regular and usually unannounced inspections of food premises.
• We will respond to complaints about food or food premises within two working days.
• We will investigate relevant infectious diseases within one working day.
• We will inspect relevant imported foods within one working day of request.
• We will inspect the hygienic condition of ships within one working day of request.
• We will respond to requests for advice or information on food safety within five working days.
• We will carry out food sampling from food premises in accordance with local and national programmes.
• We will keep you fully informed of the progress made with your enquiry or complaint.