Agenda item

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Markets & Consumer Protection on the Amendments to the Commercial Environmental Health Service Plan 2020-2021 with respect to Food Safety Work.

The Committee was informed that at its July meeting, it had approved the Commercial Environmental Health Team’s Service Plan for the year. The plan was set out in three stages, which the City of London had anticipated the course of the pandemic to run from the initial lockdown in March, to reopen in early July and then to recovery and return to normal; however, this has not happened in the phases that were planned out. During that period, the Food Standards Agency was encouraging local authorities to do more proactive food work, alongside its statutory duties such as COVID-19 Secure, track, and trace and to inspect businesses once they could reopen in July.

As more restrictions were put in place by September, the Department’s focus shifted to ensuring that the safety of the public and customers for the local business became a priority. Following the national lockdown on 5 November 2020, the vast majority of the food businesses in the City of London were closed.

The Committee was assured that the few of the food businesses which decided to remain open were provided with COVID-19 secure advice and where appropriate food safety inspections were carried out. The Department’s main priority is now being prepared for the City of London’s businesses to reopens safely and in line with any new regulations that may stem from the lifting of the restriction proposed for 3 December. The Department will continue to ensure that all the businesses remain COVID-19 secure.

The Chairman noted that it is an annual exercise that needs approval from the Committee, and a confirmation needs to be provided to the Food Standard Agency.

RESOLVED – Members approved:

a) the specific food safety and health & safety activities set out in the

Commercial Environmental Health Team Plan 2020-2021; and

b) the London Port Health Authority Food Service Enforcement Plan 2020-

2021.