27/3/2008

Local News

Cafe cleans up its act

AN Aldershot cafe which was warned on several occasions about poor food hygiene has cleaned up its act.
Standards at the Station Café in Station Road have now improved and the business is satisfactory.
On Thursday, March 6, three formal cautions for food safety offences were issued to the proprietor of the Station Café, who accepted the formal cautions, admitting a series of food safety offences during the previous year.
The food business had been found to be in a dirty condition, food handlers were not suitably trained in food hygiene matters and that food safety management systems were not in place.
This formal action comes after a series of interventions made by officers from Rushmoor Borough Council’s food safety team over the past eight months including:
++   an initial food hygiene inspection last May which concluded that the premises was unsatisfactory
++   three visits from a food safety officer
++   four written reports of visits stating what needed to be done as a matter of urgency
++   a full report and covering letter detailing what was wrong
++   a Food Standards Agency catering pack providing a model for food safety management systems, and
++   four formal Improve-ment Notices requiring specific work to be done within a specified time.
Despite these actions, a further visit by Rushmoor Council on January 9 established that there was still a general failure to comply with food safety legislation and the decision to take more formal action was made, resulting in the formal cautions.
Since January, considerable improvements have been made in the premises and a further visit on February 28 found the premises to be satisfactory. 
Following the improvements, the business has now been re-listed as satisfactory on the council’s food hygiene website, safe2eat.com.  The website informs residents about standards in food businesses across Rushmoor, helping them to make informed choices about where they eat.
Environmental health officer Julie Burke said: “It has been a long road to get this premises to a satisfactory condition. 
“I’m now pleased that standards have substantially improved and I’m particularly pleased that following our actions we are now able to list the business as satisfactory.

First printed in: Surrey Hants Star