Consumers in Dumfries and Galloway could be facing an increased risk of food poisoning
There's a warning Dumfries and Galloway faces a crisis in food safety.
There are concerns consumers in Dumfries and Galloway are at an increased risk of food poisoning.
An investigation's found two in three takeaways and restaurants in the region haven't been inspected in more than two years.
This figure ranks the region the third worst in the UK.
Environmental health teams say staff shortages and a backlog from the pandemic are behind the trend.
Stephen Montgomery's the director of Scottish Hospitality and owns a restaurant in Annan.
“I think that we all know and understand that we have all just been through two years, three years of a global pandemia which has affected everybody. From a EHO Environmental Health Officer point of view, I certainly wouldn’t envy their job at the minute trying to catch up on all the inspections because the inspections would usually happen every year.”
The public services union, Unison, said: “This is a serious public health issue.”
A spokesman said: “Inspections are now so delayed that it’s perfectly possible for food businesses with shoddy hygiene practices to operate with little fear of ever being caught.”
The investigation comes amid heightened food safety concerns following an E-coli outbreak in June linked to contaminated products.
“I don’t think there is any worry from a consumer point of view at all given the fact that over 770 units that have been inspected across Dumfires and Galloway, we have a 95.5% pass rate, and the national average is 92.5% so I don’t think there is any concerns there at all for anyone in a legitimate food selling business.” Says Montgomery.
A Food Standards Scotland (FSS) spokesman said the staffing levels of their officers is as low as 47 per cent and the system was in need of reform.
The UK charity, Unchecked, said food standards had been affected by a “general curtailment of enforcement activity”.
A spokesman said: “It’s primarily the consequence of years of disinvestment into what used to be a pretty good system.”
A Dumfries and Galloway Council spokesman said: “Our environmental health service has experienced increasing levels of demand since the covid-19 pandemic.
“In addition to that, the service has found that food hygiene standards has slipped in many food establishments since that time, possibly due to the pause in inspections that was necessary.
“As a consequence, many inspections are taking longer than they would have done previously and we are undertaking a number of return visits to ensure that the public are kept safe.”
Montgomery is urging outlets to arrange an inspection if not done so already:
“Rather than them coming in seeing that you are not doing anything right, you’ve got no records, and then leading to possibly being shut down where that could have been avoided. So, my plead is for anyone who thinks they are not doing it right, please reach out to EHO.”