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27
Oct 2021
Food safety standards in Harrogate district 'deteriorated significantly' during pandemic
Food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses have “deteriorated significantly” during the covid pandemic, a report has revealed.
Inspections by food safety officers resumed in July after being halted earlier in the pandemic and there has since been three voluntary closures of businesses and two emergency hygiene prohibition orders issued – more than the two previous years combined.
That is according to a new report from Harrogate Borough Council, which said “standards have deteriorated significantly” and that staff were now working through a backlog of inspections.
The report said:
While the council carried out inspections at all ‘high risk’ food establishments, just 16% of new businesses were inspected against a target of 90% in 2020/21.
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During the same period, 24% of ‘lower risk’ businesses were inspected against a target of 95%.
The report said this was “entirely due to the impact of the covid pandemic” during which staff focused their efforts on infection control, advice and enforcement.
Rodent infestation in pub
One business which was served an emergency hygiene prohibition order was the Black Swan Inn in Fearby near Masham which was found to have a rodent infestation and dirty kitchen during a routine inspection.
The order was served in August by the council which said the pub was “dirty throughout” and that staff were unable to wash their hands after handling raw food.
Speaking at the time, Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said:
At a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Chambers approved a food service recovery plan which details the work to be carried out by inspectors over the coming year.
This includes inspecting the average 200 new food establishments that register each year, targeting efforts towards ‘high risk’ businesses and managing food safety standards at the increasing number of events and festivals.
The plan said:
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