Environmental health officers have closed four Highland takeaway restaurants for poor food handling practices.
Sweet&Spicy of Novar Road, Alness; Bengal Spice of High Street, Alness; Bombay Spice, Bridge Street, Wick and Shelina Spice, Provost Sinclair Road, Thurso were found to have poor cross-contamination practices and the lack of any proper food safety management system.
After swooping last month, the officers served notices to close the businesses until the issues were remedied.
Gregor MacCormick, Highland Council’s Senior Environmental Health Officer, said: “The standard of food safety found within a number of the takeaway premises visited was found to be poor and in these circumstances our service will not hesitate to take formal enforcement action to ensure public health.
“All food business operators require having a food safety management system (FSMS) in place and staff who have received adequate food hygiene training.
“It is essential that suitable steps are implemented to prevent the risk of cross contamination between raw and cooked foods in takeaway premises such as these where high risk food stuffs are being prepared.
“We would urge all food businesses to ensure they have a food safety management system such as ‘Cooksafe’ in place, otherwise risk similar formal enforcement action requiring to be taken.”
Working with Immigration Enforcement officers, council officers also found poor standards of staff accommodation linked to several take-away premises, with properties failing the required Highland Council standard for Houses of Multiple Occupation.
